Ensnare
by Charmd5G
Summary: Ah, the wonderful days of high school. cliche? extremely. pairings? anything non and original...eventual sana, jate, shayid...the usuals...
1. Chapter 1

* * *

"Hey, this seat taken?" 

Jack looked over to the other seat at his table. It had been empty the whole year. He shook his head.

A Latina girl sat down next to him. She had the most gorgeous curtain of dark hair.

"Jack, right?" she asked.

"Yes. You're…um…"

"Ana Lucia," she prompted.

"Right. Sorry," Jack said. He smiled briefly and went back to read his book, something John Grisham, but found it wasn't all that interesting.

"John Grisham?" Ana asked, looking at his book. Jack nodded at her.

"He's good. One of my favorites."

"Oh," Jack replied.

Jack tried to absorb a few more words on the page. He looked around the class, observing his many classmates. No one he knew real well. Ben was really smart; he and Jack had been competing for the highest grade in the class. Claire was as sweet as could be, but Jack knew nothing about her. And now he knew Ana. He knew Ana liked John Grisham books and that she had really nice hair, but nothing else.

Jack took a deep breath and tried to break the silence between him and his future lab partner. "So, how come you're in here?"

"I was in a different period, but I had to get my classes switched around," Ana replied. She shifted her chair so it was further away from him. She looked up to see him watching her. She shrugged and nodded her head toward the girl in front of her. "Her head's in the way."

Jack nodded and turned away again. At that moment, the teacher walked in and called everyone's attention.

"Jack," she called.

"Yes, Ms. Davis?" Jack answered, shutting his book immediately. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack could see Ana smirking.

"Pass out papers, will you?" Ms. Davis dropped a stack of papers on Jack's desk. Ana had to cover her mouth with her hand to stop from laughing. So apparently she wasn't as nice as Claire. "Everyone, we have a new student in our class. This is Heather."

"Ana," Ana corrected immediately, smirk gone from her face. The teacher looked blankly back at her. "Ana, my name's Ana."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, darling. It's just I have so many students…." Ms. Davis said with a laugh. She had barely finished her sentence before walking to the chalkboard to write out a chemical equation. "Now, who would like to balance this equation for me?"

-xXx-

"Hey."

Kate ignored everyone around her and made sure to cover up her test.

"Hey, Kate."

"_What?_" Kate hissed without looking up.

"What's the answer to number two?"

Kate slowly turned her head to look at the boy next her. He was an idiot. She almost didn't have any idea why so many girls liked this guy. Almost. There he was, with his blonde hair, somehow managing to look sexy while cheating on his algebra II test. She turned her eyes back to her own paper, annoyed.

"Shut up, Sawyer."

There was silence for the next few minutes.

"Hey. Hey Kate."

Now, not only Kate groaned, but so did the boy in front of her, Boone, and the boy in front of Sawyer, Sayid. Sawyer looked around innocently.

"Seven. The answer is seven," Boone hissed, looking annoyed.

"The answer is twelve," Sayid muttered in his thick accent.

"What?" Boone asked.

"Shh," Kate hushed.

"Twelve is the correct answer," Sayid said slowly.

"Thanks, Mohammad," Sawyer whispered, scribbling furiously on his paper.

"Twelve?" Boone mumbled to himself, flipping back a few pages. He turned halfway to look at Kate.

She nodded at him. "Twelve."

"Damn it," Boone responded. He tried to erase something on his paper, but found that the one on top of his pencil was used up. "Hey, Sayid, can I borrow-"

"What's goin' on here?" the teacher had walked up.

"Oh- Mr. Grant- I just needed an- an eraser-" Boone stuttered.

Mr. Grant sighed. "Anybody got an eraser Boone can use?"

Sayid wordlessly handed him one.

Mr. Grant looked at Sayid suspiciously. "Fine, then. And no more talkin', you four. Some people might start to get suspicious." He walked away.

Kate traded grins with Sayid and Boone. When she looked over at Sawyer, she found him watching her. He winked at her, and went back to his test.

-xXx-

"Hey, Jack," Sawyer called. He quickly caught up and fell into step with the slightly taller guy.

"Sawyer," Jack said by way of greeting.

"How was English this morning?" Sawyer asked.

"Fine," Jack answered vaguely.

"And how is Sarah?" Sawyer asked, a smirk evident on his face.

"She's good," Jack said. He stared ahead of him.

Sawyer laughed outright. "Seriously, Jack-o. You need to make a move, or someone else will."

Jack gave a short awkward laugh, but didn't respond to Sawyer's remark.

"Ok, then," Sawyer said. He and Jack walked another lap around the gym in silence. "How are your other classes?" Sawyer's voice was flat and bored sounding.

"Fine," Jack said. He wasn't really in the mood to talk to Sawyer, but Sawyer just couldn't take a hint.

"Hey, Jack," Sawyer said, his voice suddenly full of interest. "Who's that?"

"Who?" Jack looked to where Sawyer was pointing. Ahead of them a girl was walking all by herself. Jack didn't recognize her from his previous PE classes, but she looked familiar.

"That's Ana Lucia," Jack said. "She's my partner in Chemistry."

"Damn, she has a nice ass," Sawyer said. "Well, what are you waiting for Jack-o? Introduce me!"

Jack shrugged. "Hey Ana!"

Ana looked over her shoulder to see who had called her. Jack motioned to her to join them. She slowed her pace and waited for them to catch up.

"Hi, Ana. I'm terribly sorry about this; it's just my friend…" Jack gave Sawyer a look that implied the blonde was a hopeless basket case. Sawyer glared at Jack, but managed to turn back to Ana smiling.

"Sawyer," Sawyer said, holding out his hand.

Ana took it cautiously. "Ana."

"Pleasure to meet you," Sawyer said in a low, sexy voice. He shook her hand very slowly as if he was concentrating on it, and yet managing to look deep in her eyes. Ana broke the eye contact, and tried to pry her hand out of Sawyer's grasp.

"Um…so, Jack" Ana managed to take her hand out of Sawyer's grasp. "What do you need?"

"Well, um-Saw-"

"We were just wondering if you'd like to hang with us today, you being new and all to this class," Sawyer covered. Inwardly, he cringed at Jack's lack of communication skills around girls.

Ana surveyed the rest of the gym before nodding slowly. "Yeah, all right."

"Ok, everyone. Divide yourselves up into groups of ten," the teacher, Coach Weaver had walked into the gym. "This station is for push-ups, this one for dips, jump rope, and so on. You know the drill. Fifteen minutes per station. Don't slack on me." He went right back into his office.

Jack, Sawyer, and Ana walked to the nearest station: elastic bands. They each picked one up and pretended to be doing stretches.

"So, Ana," Sawyer began, "what other classes are you in now?"

Ana shrugged. "This, chemistry, algebra II, history, English. The usual."

"Right. The usual," Sawyer echoed.

"And what classes are you in?" Ana said. She was smiling slightly and there was a strange gleam in her eyes.

"Physics, algebra II, English, you know, the usual," Sawyer retorted.

Jack rolled his eyes. If he knew Sawyer, he knew where this was headed.

"Huh. That's interesting," Ana said. Her offhand tone of voice annoyed Sawyer. His shoulder muscles almost visibly tightened.

"And why's that?"

"You just don't seem like the…brilliant genius who takes all the usual classes," Ana paused and grinned wickedly. "Like Jack, here."

"Sweetheart, sweetheart," Sawyer quipped. "There's no need to hide your feelings for Jack. I'm sure he'll hear you out and let you down easy."

"Do you try to be a dumb ass, or does it just come naturally?" Ana asked.

Jack rolled his eyes again and began ignoring them. He even tried to chat up some of the other girls in their group, but they all blew him off.

Jack began to listen to the conversation again when the buzzer sounded, signaling the time to switch stations.

"So, what are you doing Friday?" Sawyer was asking.

"Why?" Ana said.

Sawyer scoffed. He looked genuinely surprised when Ana actually seemed to be waiting for an answer. "Because I wanna know."

Ana stared at him, barely hiding the mockery in her smile. She looked him up and down before smirking for real. "I don't think so."

"Why not?" Sawyer seemed outraged.

"Because I don't think you're worth it," Ana answered with a shrug.

"What?" Sawyer snapped.

"Right, I'm gonna…go…" Jack sighed and walked over to another girl he knew, Cindy.

"Hey, Cindy. Mind if I talk with you awhile?"

-xXx-

"So you get your classes changed one day, and suddenly you have two prospective boyfriends? Where's the guidance counselor, I think I need to be in your classes," Libby joked.

"That's not what I said," Ana muttered. "I said that there were two guys-"

"That you like, yeah," Libby said. "It's the same thing, trust me."

Ana didn't respond. She followed Libby into the lunch line and grabbed a tray.

"So who're these guys again?" Libby asked.

"Jack and Sawyer," Ana said.

"Right. You're going to have to introduce me to them," Libby commented. She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder. "It's not fair that you have boys, plural."

"You're so overdramatic," Ana huffed. "Besides, I don't _have_ boys, I just know them."

"Same thing," Libby said as she handed the cashier money. Ana paid for her own lunch and helped Libby to locate some empty seats.

"Well, it's just that Jack is really smart," Ana began as they sat down. "He's like genius smart. He's the ultimate geek."

"So? What's the problem? You're brilliant in history!" Libby said.

Ana sighed and continued talking as if Libby hadn't interuppted. "And Sawyer is just…Sawyer. He's really into verbal wars. I swear we didn't say one peaceful word to each other."

"Ana, I'm failing to see the problem. You never have anything good to say to anyone either," Libby said.

"Fine, fine. Let's just talk about something else," Ana snapped.

-xXx-

Kate rushed onto the bus only to find that there weren't any open seats. She walked along slowly, trying to remember faces so she could find someone to sit with. She sighed with relief when she came across a familiar face.

"Jack, hey," Kate said, plopping down in the seat with the dark haired boy.

"Oh, Kate-h-hi," Jack stammered.

"Oh, is it all right if I sit here?" Kate asked uncertainly.

"No, that's fine," Jack said. He looked out the window as the bus started to drive away. He had to concentrate on breathing if he was going to make it through this bus ride.

"So, how've you been? I'm sorry that we haven't talked in awhile, it's just hard when we don't sit next to each other anymore in English," Kate said.

"Yeah, me too," Jack said, when he was finally able to look at Kate without feeling nervous. "Everything's great on my end. How about you? How're things?"

"No complaints," Kate said. She and Jack shared a smile as they fell into silence.

"So how did-"

"Did we-"

Jack smiled at Kate again. "Sorry. You go first."

"I was just gonna ask if we had English homework," Kate said bashfully.

"No we didn't," Jack replied. He glanced briefly out the window again when the bus pulled to a stop.

"Well, hey, listen. This is my stop, but we should get together this weekend, or something," Kate said standing up. She flashed him that radiant smile of hers and dashed off the bus.

"Yeah, ok," Jack agreed. He was suddenly dazzled by Kate's smile.

* * *

**ok, so reviews are much appreciated...not to mention if you have any pairing ideas for me please :)**


	2. Chapter 2

"Shannon, open the door."

Silence. Then the blow dryer.

"Shannon, that's not funny. Hurry up and get out," Boone yelled even louder.

"Boone, why are you yelling?" Sabrina had crept out of her room looking very tired.

"Shannon is in the bathroom and I need to brush my teeth," Boone yelled.

"Well, come use my bathroom," Sabrina suggested. "Just stop yelling, please."

"But my toothbrush is in there," Boone shouted, pounding on the door. Suddenly the lock clicked and the door opened. It revealed a very pissed off looking Shannon.

"You couldn't wait ten minutes," Shannon complained. She headed off to her room to get dressed.

Boone sighed, rubbed his eyes tiredly, and entered the bathroom. It was cluttered with Shannon's crap, like always. He grabbed his toothbrush and looked around for the toothpaste. He couldn't find it. "Shan-"

Sabrina was standing in the doorway. Boone hadn't seen her. "Boone, be nice to Shannon. She's your soon-to-be stepsister. And please, stop yelling. You're giving me a headache." Sabrina reached in and grabbed the toothpaste from under a hand towel. She shoved it at Boone and stalked out, presumably to wake Adam, Shannon's father.

"Soon-to-be stepsister," Boone repeated, rolling his eyes.

Downstairs, Shannon was waiting for him at the kitchen table. Boone sighed again and grabbed his bag.

"Ready?"

Shannon made no move to leave the chair. "What she'd say about me?"

"Shannon…" Boone groaned.

"What did Sabrina say about me? About my dad?" Shannon demanded. She got up suddenly and stood directly in Boone's face. "I know she doesn't like me. I know she doesn't even love my dad."

"Oh, Boone, I'd thought you'd left already," said a honey-sweet voice from the doorway. It was Sabrina. She stood there in her rose colored satin robe, glaring threateningly at the two teens. Shannon glared back.

"Can we go, please?" Boone muttered to Shannon. She didn't respond. Boone walked to the door, dragging Shannon behind him.

"Bye, darling," Sabrina called. Boone raised a hand in acknowledgement.

-xXx-

Charlie walked slowly along the crowded sidewalk. His shoulders were hunched and he was shivering constantly. A tall blonde boy walking in the other direction ran into him. "Watch it," the guy muttered in a heavy southern accent amid a glower.

"You watch it," Charlie hissed back quietly after the boy had walked away. He was jostled along by the crowd as he stared morosely after the southern guy. Finally he turned away and headed into the school up ahead.

It was a giant school built with boring gray stone. It was two stories. There were maybe two windows per classroom. The lawn was green and there were hedges filled with thorns lining the walk up to the front doors. On rainy days, the stone darkened and the whole picture gave you the impression of prison.

Charlie shuddered as he walked in, knowing he wouldn't like it here, and quickly found the office. It was bustling with students, teachers, and staff.

"Excuse me?"

Everybody was ignoring him.

"Excuse me, miss?"

"Hey, Ms. Stephens." Charlie looked over to his left where a student had approached the front desk. She had quickly gotten the attention of a secretary and was now filling out a form. She was gorgeous. Long black curls, copper skin, nice body.

"Kid needs help," the girl remarked looking up at the secretary, nodding in Charlie's direction. Then she looked over at him and smiled. Beautiful dark eyes, pretty smile. "Your welcome."

"Uh, I'm Charlie," Charlie stammered.

"Charlie what?" the secretary asked. Charlie jumped.

"Um, Pace, Charlie Pace. I'm a new student."

"Right, here you go. Fill this out," the secretary handed him a stack of papers and a pen. Charlie took it reluctantly.

"I'm Ana." The girl handed her own papers back to the secretary, smiled once again at Charlie, and left.

Charlie watched her walk out. He jumped again when the secretary tapped the papers in front of him.

"Jumpy, aren't you? Hurry up, first period starts in ten," she told him.

"Right. Sorry."

Six minutes later, Charlie walked out of the office with a map of the school, his schedule, and locker combination. He looked over his schedule as he started walking. First period: Band. Charlie's pace slowed. Band? Why, why was he in _band_?

"Move it, kid." A blonde girl shoved past Charlie with her two friends.

"Shannon!" the blonde friend exclaimed, looking back over her shoulder at Charlie. She had the most astonishing blue eyes.

"What?" Shannon snapped. "He was in the way."

Charlie shook his head and went in search of the band room.

-xXx-

"Ok, everyone. Where did we leave off last time?" Mrs. Johnson asked the class as a whole. "Did we take…?" She drifted off to her desk and began digging in a filing cabinet. The class fell into quiet conversations.

"Hey, Jack," someone called. Jack looked up and saw that it was Kate. She looked around at the teacher, and seeing that she was occupied, Kate got up and walked to Jack's desk.

"Look, Jack, I know we had plans to get together this weekend," Kate began. Her eyes darted nervously around.

"But," Jack prompted.

"The thing is…it's just I seem to already have plans. I'm really sorry," Kate finished. She did look genuinely sorry.

"It's ok," Jack replied. "Maybe some other time."

"Good," Kate said. She tried to smile at him but it didn't work; Jack could tell it was bogus. She edged away and walked back to her seat.

"Already had plans. Ha."

Jack looked to his right at Sarah, a blonde petite girl. "Excuse me?"

Sarah looked back at him with her big brown eyes. "Oh, I shouldn't have said anything." She tried and failed to look bashful.

"Oh," Jack said. He turned away from Sarah, feeling depressed. He'd been looking forward to spending time with Kate.

"It's just that," Sarah's voice broke through Jack's thoughts. "I overheard Kate earlier. I know I shouldn't have been listening, but…" Sarah shrugged. "She was talking to that Sawyer Ford. Know him?"

Jack nodded, suddenly nervous about where this was going.

"Sawyer was asking Kate out. They made plans to go out on Saturday."

Jack nodded again, not sure what to say. Of course it was Sawyer's fault. Every girl in the whole damn school fell at Sawyer's feet.

"You're not upset, are you?" Sarah asked.

"Um…no."

"Good. You shouldn't be," Sarah said. She smiled once at him, a queer look in her eye. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What-what's that?" Jack stuttered. Whenever girls got that tone of voice, the one that said they had a secret, Jack got really nervous.

"You're a pretty nice guy, you know that?" Sarah asked, leaning closer to him. "A real gentleman. And you know what I would just _love_?"

Jack shook his head. His whole body felt flushed.

"For you to take me out on Saturday. To the movies," Sarah smiled again, and leaned back in her seat. "Pick me up at six."

Jack stared at her. He could barely comprehend what was happening.

"Ok then, everyone," the teacher was back. "Vocabulary test time."

-xXx-

"¡Hola, clase!" Señora Gonzalez greeted her class. She set her coffee mug on her desk and began handing back papers. She stopped between two desks, looking questioningly between the two occupants. "¡Ah, Señorita Cortez¿Y Señor Reyes, también? To what do I owe the pleasure of having you both in my class?"

Ana shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I need a foreign language credit."

"Same here," Hurley added.

"So then why are you in Spanish? Didn't you think to take a language you don't already know?" Señora Gonzalez asked them.

Ana shrugged and looked at Hurley. He looked blankly back at her.

Señora Gonzalez sighed and walked away, muttering to herself.

"Is it just me, or is she really annoying this year?" Ana asked Hurley.

"It's not you," Hurley said.

"Hey, marshmallow."

Hurley threw Ana an annoyed look and turned to look at who called him. It was Sawyer, sitting in the next row over.

"You wanna hear a joke?" Sawyer asked.

"Not really," Hurley replied.

"Good," Sawyer said, ignoring Hurley's response. "What do you call two fat men having a chat?"

Hurley looked at him wearily.

"A heavy discussion," Sawyer said, looking really pleased with himself. The guy in front of him burst out laughing. "Get it? A _heavy_ discussion?"

Hurley didn't say a word. He simply turned back around to Ana.

Ana studied Hurley for a moment before calling out to Sawyer.

"You called, sweetheart?" Sawyer drawled.

"Yeah. You got a problem with Hurley?"

"No," Sawyer paused thoughtfully. "It's just, he takes up so much _room_…"

Ana glared at Sawyer. "You're such a jerk." Her voice rose and she got halfway out of her seat, ready to punch him.

"Ana Lucia!" the teacher said warningly, coming back over to see what the ruckus was all about. Sawyer chuckled at Señora Gonzalez's tone. That was the last draw for Ana. She stood all the way up, and tried to make her way to Sawyer, but Hurley quickly got up and held her back.

"It's cool, man. Happens all the time," Hurley muttered. He forced Ana to sit back down.

Señora Gonzalez was hovering frantically in the background. "Ana Lucia! Explain yourself, por favor."

Ana glared once more at Sawyer before launching into an explanation in Spanish. She was speaking too quickly for anyone but the teacher and Hurley to catch what she said. Toward the end, Hurley snorted at something Ana said. She turned to glare at him.

When Ana was completely done, Señora Gonzalez started on her own longwinded Spanish monologue. It sounded as if she was disciplining Ana. Hurley winced more than once.

Finally, the problems having been taken care of, Señora Gonzalez began a review of the imperfect tense. Ana glared at Sawyer; he grinned at her in return.

"He's an idiot," a voice whispered in her ear. Ana turned to look at the guy sitting behind her.

"Yeah, I guess," she said.

"I'm Goodwin," the boy said with a smile.

-xXx-

"Ok, everyone, your attention please," Mr. Don called through the room. "Paint me a picture today. Make it of a person and be done by the end of class. I'll turn on the radio, but get too loud, and off it goes."

"Hi. You're, ah, Charlie, right?"

Charlie looked up. It was the girl he'd seen earlier today, the one with the dazzling blue eyes.

"Uh, yeah. I'm sorry, but I don't know you," Charlie said apologetically.

"Oh, right. I'm Claire. I'm in your biology class," she flashed him a stunning smile. "Here, come on. Let's go get the paint and things."

Charlie followed Claire obediently. She showed him where to get paint and brushes. She told him to go sit down while she found them some paper. Charlie turned away and almost got knocked over by a fellow dark skinned student.

"Hey, watch where you're going, man," the guy muttered, scowling at Charlie. He stormed past towards the paint.

"That's Michael. He's a brilliant artist, bit of a temper, though," Claire said as she walked up behind him. "Come on, let's go."

Charlie was relieved when Claire decided to sit next to him. They started their paintings in silence.

"So, where are you from, Claire?"

"Australia, actually."

"Oh, really?" Charlie said, looking up at Claire. "How come you're here?"

"My mum decided she wanted a change of scenery a few years ago," Claire replied. "You're not from around here, either, are you?"

"No. My father moved us here from Britain when he got a new job," Charlie said. His painting was horrible so far. Big splotches of yellow and green. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at it.

"It's not so bad," Claire said, seeing his look.

"Well, no, not compared to yours," Charlie said, pointing to Claire's own collage of blue and brown blobs.

Claire made an indistinct noise, somewhere between a snort and a laugh. "I resent that."

Charlie laughed. "So who are you painting?"

"It's my friend, Kate," Claire explained. "Her birthday's coming up and she'll get a kick out of something homemade like this."

"Lovely present," Charlie commented.

Claire stuck her tongue out at him. "And who are you painting?"

"I don't know exactly," Charlie said, considering his painting. "It might be my mum, actually."

Before Claire could reply, the intercom crackled on.

"Teachers, please send all sophomores to the gym at this time."

Charlie looked at Claire, standing up. He saw that she was getting up also.

"What do you think is going on?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know," Claire said, leading the way out of the room.

* * *

So, **bogus** is totally my new favorite word.


	3. Chapter 3

Kate entered the gym slowly. She could hear the people behind her sighing impatiently, but she didn't care. She always hated these kinds of assemblies. True, they got everyone out of class for awhile, but they were a lot more trouble than they were worth.

Kate began her climb up the bleachers to the sophomore section, searching for someone to sit with. She had been in World History, a boring class on all accounts. She didn't really have any friends in there, either.

"Kate!"

Kate looked to her right. Shannon was sitting among her usual admirers, but got up eagerly when she spotted Kate. Shannon stumbled down the row towards her friend, tripping on an insignificant mousy-haired boy.

"Excuse you!" the boy yelled over the din at Shannon.

Shannon shot the boy a dirty look, repeating, "Excuse _you_."

"That's right. Step on the little guy, just because you can!" the boy retorted angrily.

Shannon considered him a moment. "Who're you?"

"Ben," the boy looked shocked at being addressed without hostility.

"Right, Ben," Shannon said, "I'm really sorry for tripping over you." She smiled at him in an exaggerated, fake sort of way before turning back to Kate. "Let's find a seat, shall we?"

Ben muttered under his breath once again. Stupid girls. They never liked him and never would. No, they were too immature for him anyway. Not the kind of people he wanted to surround himself with. Ben looked over to the section of the bleachers reserved for the juniors. All he had to do was wait. She would come.

As if triggered by Ben's thoughts, the intercom came on once again. "Please send all juniors down to the gym at this time."

"Oh, I'm sorry are you all right?"

Ben looked behind him. He had been kneed in the back, but he hadn't taken any notice. It was strange though. The girl guilty of the crime was apologizing and asking after him. He nodded and turned back to look for _her_, puzzling all the while the strange nature of the opposite sex.

Charlie, too, did not say a word. He silently raised his eyebrows at Claire. She shrugged.

"Ben," she mouthed, pointing to the boy in front of her. She leaned closer to Charlie to whisper in his ear. "He doesn't have many friends. Not really good with people, I think."

Charlie nodded his understanding. He opened his mouth to reply verbally, but Claire turned away when she heard her name called. Charlie sighed and turned his attention back to the bizarre boy in front of him. Ben was watching the doors intently, obviously waiting for someone to walk in. Charlie looked too, keeping an eye on Ben. They both watched silently as many people filed in with their friends. Charlie didn't recognize most of them. He assumed Ben didn't either, since he gave no physical indication of recognition to the various faces. Charlie slouched down in his seat, suddenly wishing he had a cigarette. Creepy kid did not interest him anymore.

"Teachers, send all the seniors to the gym at this time."

"Hey, Charlie. My friends are sitting a couple rows back. Would you mind if we went to sit with them?" Claire shouted in Charlie's ear.

"No need to yell," Charlie flinched away, covering his ear. He noticed, then, that Ben was suddenly sitting up straighter and his focus seemed more direct. Charlie waved a hand at Claire to keep her quiet for a moment. He scanned the crowd below him again. The last of the juniors were walking in. Among the stragglers was a dark-haired girl. Charlie recognized her as the one he had met in the office that morning. Ana. Charlie's eyebrows rose. He was impressed. This kid has some high standards. He supposed for a moment that he could be wrong; Ben could just be observing the crowd. Perhaps he wasn't giving Ana the attention that Charlie thought he was.

"Charlie?"

"Oh, right. Yes, yes, that's fine, Claire." Charlie decided to make this assembly worthwhile. He was going to keep an eye on Ben.

A few rows up, Shannon and Kate waited for Claire to come back. They were both curious, though Shannon in particular, to see who Claire's new male friend was.

"Oh, look, there he is!" Shannon exclaimed in Kate's ear. Kate rolled her eyes and slid down the bleacher to make room for Claire and her friend.

"Shannon, Claire, this is Charlie," Claire introduced when she was within speaking distance. "Charlie, Shannon, Kate."

Charlie bobbed his head in greeting. Shannon smiled eagerly and pulled him down to the seat next to her. "Hello, Charlie. So where are you from?"

"Um…" Charlie looked desperately at Claire. She stifled a giggle and quickly shoved herself between Charlie and Shannon.

"No, seriously, though, Charlie," Kate yelled down the row. "Where _are_ you from?"

Down on the floor, Boone entered the gym all alone. He had a lot of friends, but lately they had been blowing him off. The reason behind it eluded him. And so here he was. He found his eyes wandering of their own accord to the sophomores. He found Shannon instantly. Her bright blonde hair always caught his eye. She was beaut-

Wait. What was he doing? He shouldn't be thinking those things. She's going to be his _sister_. Stepsister, yes, but-

"Move it, kid," a blonde girl snarled as she shoved past Boone. He glared after her. It was Sarah Bowen and her partner-in-crime Juliet Burke. The two had been friends since they met in second grade. Boone had never known them to be apart; he should know. In eighth grade, he had been one of their best friends. They had liked to call themselves The Three Musketeers. That was the year he met Shannon. Two years younger than he, she'd had the gall to call him gay for hanging out with only girls. Boone had been shocked and immediately severed ties with Sarah and Juliet. Apparently, they hadn't gotten over it.

Whatever, though. He'd made new friends in high school that were much better. Boone concentrated on that thought as he ascended the bleachers and found a seat. He wasn't there long when Michael sat down next to him.

"Hey Michael," Boone acknowledged.

"Hey man," Michael returned. "You have any idea what this is for?"

"Nope. As long as it gets me out of class though," Boone joked. Michael glanced his way with raised eyebrows.

"Right. Well, I hope it's something interesting. I just about had Mr. Don convinced," Michael said.

"Convinced about what?" Boone asked.

"Oh, ah, the mural. The one I'm trying to get Mr. Don and the principal let us paint as the senior gift," Michael said. He was scanning the crowd now, apparently looking for someone.

"Ah, yes. The mural. Well, I'm afraid that's not gonna happen, boys."

Boone looked apprehensively over his shoulder. Goodwin Cullen was smirking at him from the row behind.

"Hey, you wanna mind your own business?" Boone snapped. He would have loved to see that look slapped from Goodwin's face.

"Actually, this is my business," Goodwin replied in an amused voice. He leaned forward on his knees so he was closer to the two boys. "You see, I had a talk with Coach Weaver and the principal. They both seem to agree with me that the perfect senior gift is new football uniforms."

"Football uniforms," Michael repeated, obviously disbelieving the words. He shook his head and waved Goodwin away. "Yeah, yeah. I'll believe that when I see it."

"Well, trust me. You'll see it," Goodwin replied. "Being the football and baseball captain has its advantages. Just you wait." Goodwin laughed good and loud and sat back in his seat.

"Damn, does he sound like the wicked witch of the west or what?" Michael remarked dryly.

Boone sniggered. "Or what. Hey, I'll back you up though. A mural sounds way better than new _football uniforms_."

"Yeah, thanks, man," Michael said, glancing at him oddly. "Oh, look. I think they're about to start this shit."

Boone hummed his agreement, looking down at the floor below them. The principal was the one holding the mike and most of the teachers were standing around the perimeter.

"Good afternoon, boys and girls," the principal said into the mike, which only served to make it screech.

Sawyer sighed at the lameness of the adults employed at this hell-hole they had the audacity to call a school. "Hey, Ana."

Ana, who was sitting in front of him with her friends Hurley and Libby, either ignored him or didn't hear.

"Ana." Sawyer tried again, this time tapping her on the shoulder.

"_What?"_ Ana hissed, looking over her shoulder at him with raised eyebrows.

Sawyer slid his signature dimpled grin into place. "You should speak _español_ more often, sweetheart."

Ana rolled her eyes. She knew he was waiting for her to ask why. "Why?"

"Yeah, why?" Libby echoed. Her keen blue eyes along with Ana's coffee colored ones studied Sawyer intently.

"Why? Because it makes you sound good," Sawyer smirked.

"You mean it makes her sound hot," Jack said, leaning forward to join the conversation. He was sitting next to Sawyer. Now, it was Ana's turn to smirk. Sawyer glared at Jack.

"Just thought I'd point out the obvious," Jack shrugged. "You know, it's interesting how you continue to flirt with Ana here, but on the weekend you date Kate."

"You're dating Kate?" Ana asked, her eyes darkening.

"Do you even know Kate?" Sawyer inquired.

"Kate Austen, right? Yeah, she's in my Architecture class," Ana replied.

"You know, that is interesting," Libby said suddenly. She had yet to take her eyes off Sawyer, whereas Ana had lowered hers, unexpectedly finding her fingernails fascinating.

"What's interesting, Betty?" Sawyer asked, glaring at Libby now. He'd only met her today when she sat down with Ana, but his dislike for her was growing as time went on.

"That you aren't able to keep your attention on any one girl at a time," Libby said. She blinked several times and shifted back around in her seat. She muttered something in Hurley's ear that made him laugh. Then she began to listen to the principal talking.

"Girl's nosy," Sawyer muttered under his breath.

"What was that, cowboy?" Ana said.

Sawyer ignored her and turned to Jack. "You're one to talk, geek squad. You and that Sarah chick have a date Saturday, don't you?"

Jack flushed. "Well, yeah, but-"

"She's a senior, isn't she?" Sawyer continued on.

"You sure you're ready for that, Jack?" Ana mocked. She was feeling irritated at Sawyer, but for some reason felt the need to mock Jack's lack of dating skills.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Jack said slowly. Sawyer only laughed.

"So, are any of you listening at all?" Libby asked, her attention slipping away from the tall, graying man with the microphone.

Sawyer, Jack, and Ana all shook their heads.

"Well, he said they're gonna let us have a Homecoming dance this year," Libby said. Those listening to her remained silent. "Ok, then…" She turned back to discuss the upcoming events with Hurley.

"Homecoming. Whoop-de-freakin'-doo," Ana said as she turned back to the front. She, Sawyer, Jack contemplated the impending horrors in silence. Some fifteen minutes later, the people around them got up to leave.

"What, time to go already?" Jack said. "Oh, hey, Sayid, wait!" Jack ran off to talk with Sayid. Hurley and Libby left too, oblivious by that time of Ana.

"Looks like it's just you and me, chica," Sawyer said. Ana rolled her eyes at him, but still let him walk with her down to the doors.

"Ana! Hey, Ana!" Ana and Sawyer had just reached the level floor again when some brunette guy came barreling up.

"Um. Goodwin, right?" Ana said unsurely. Sawyer looked again and recognized the guy from his Spanish class.

"Yes. Hey, listen," Goodwin barely so much as glanced in Sawyer's direction. Sawyer was tempted to put his arm around Ana just to get this guy to go away. "You wanna catch a movie or something on Saturday?"

Ana looked taken aback for a moment. "Yeah. Sure."

"Great. See you in class," Goodwin smiled and touched Ana's arm briefly before taking off in the other direction.

"Seriously, muchacha?" Sawyer asked, stepping up next to Ana. "Goodwin?"

"You're sounding a little jealous, there, Sawyer," Ana smirked. She glanced away, then back to his face. "Oh, look. Here comes your girlfriend."

Ana was gone before Sawyer could comment on her bitter words. He forgot his formidable opponent for the moment to greet Kate.

On the other side of the gym, Jack and Sayid were still talking.

"That's great, Jack. Sarah's a wonderful girl," Sayid said.

"Yes, but-"

"Sayid! Just the man I was looking for!" Boone walked up behind Sayid. "I was wondering if I could get you to take a look at my car for me."

"Sure, Boone," Sayid said, nodding his head. "When will you be available?"

Boone opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a yell.

"Boone! I have been looking for you everywhere! Are you ready to leave yet?" Shannon too walked up behind Sayid.

"Shannon-"

"Who's your friend?" Shannon asked Boone, sizing both Jack and Sayid up.

"Sayid, Jack, this is my-this is Shannon," Boone said in a dull voice.

"Sayid," Shannon repeated slowly. "That's different."

"Come on, Shan, let's go," Boone said, shoving Shannon away. He looked apologetically at Jack and Sayid. "Sorry. Sisters, you know. How 'bout tomorrow for the car?"

"Tomorrow is fine," Sayid replied. Boone nodded, waved good-bye, and walked off, dragging Shannon behind him.

"So that's Adam's daughter," Jack speculated.

"Pretty, isn't she?" Sayid commented, watching Shannon's retreating form.

"What?" Jack said, surprised.

"Oh, nothing. See you later, Jack," Sayid said, walking off to the door. Jack shook his head.

* * *

Ok, so I know the second half of this isn't very good - pretty choppy, I think, but this chapter was taking me entirely too long to write so I had to hurry up and submit it. Also, forgive any discrepancy you may find between this chapter and the others before it. I completely forgot in those first two that I didn't want all the characters to be the same age.

Let me know if it was too confusing to figure out who was in what grade. Later on, I'll try to make all these relationships clearer, too.

Something to think about: Boone. Should he have a girlfriend or what?


	4. Chapter 4

"Morning, Jack."

"Morning," Jack replied tiredly as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"Here." Jack's mom placed a large plate filled with scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and hash browns in from of him.

"Mom…" Jack whined.

"Eat your breakfast, Jack. I made that for you and you are going to eat it," Jack's mom ordered. "Have you seen your father yet this morning?"

"No," Jack said bitterly. He reluctantly picked up his fork and began to pick at his scrambled eggs.

"Christian!" Jack's mom yelled up the stairs.

"What, Maggie?"

"I need you to pick up…"

Jack began to ignore his parents. Sooner or later this conversation was probably going to turn into a fight. He shoveled the last of his eggs into his mouth, hoping to make a quick exit.

"Fine! Jack, stop rushing. You'll make yourself sick," Maggie said in a highly irritated voice. She huffed her annoyance when Christian could be heard coming down the stairs. He sat at the table next to Jack and pulled out the newspaper. Maggie threw down a plate of food in front of him; the bacon went flying.

"Maggie!" Christian reprimanded.  
Maggie ignored her husband. "Jack, can you be home right after school today?"

"Mom, I have a student council meeting today," Jack said.

"Well, can't you skip it? I need you here to wait for a really important package," Maggie said, glaring at Christian. "Your father has to work all day, so he can't be here."

"Fine," Jack said shortly. He dropped his fork, making it clatter on his plate. He quickly gathered his bag from the corner and headed towards the door.

"Jack, is that what you're wearing to school?" Maggie asked.

Jack stopped and rolled his eyes, briefly glancing down at his red polo and jeans. "Yes, mom, it is."

"Jack, don't use that sarcastic tone with your mother," Christian called.

"Whatever," Jack said under his breath. He walked out without saying goodbye.

-xXx-

"So, you're really going out with him?"

"For the last time, _yes_," Sarah said.

"I just don't understand. You turned down Ed to date some junior," Juliet said.

"Ed? Edmund Burke? No, he's all yours, Jules," Sarah laughed. Juliet rolled her eyes. "Hey, at least if you two got married, you wouldn't have to change your name," Sarah commented, launching a ball of fluff at her friend.

"I wouldn't have thought Burke was such a common last name," Juliet muttered. "And hey. In my defense, the stitching on my pillow is turning out way better than yours."

"What are you talking about?" Sarah asked. "Those two topics are in no way related."

"Yes," Juliet said, obviously distracted now.

"Girls, this is Home Economics, not lunch. Stop the chatting and get to work." The teacher had walked up behind them unnoticed.

"Yes, Mrs. Smith," the girls chorused together.

Mrs. Smith nodded and started across the room. Once she was out of earshot, Juliet and Sarah erupted in giggles.

"So, back to serious matters," Juliet said, the smile fading from her face. "What's this kid's name again?"

"Jack," Sarah said. She winced in pain when she stuck herself with the needle she was using.

"Jack…" Juliet repeated.

"He's been eyeing me all year," Sarah said. "I'm doing him a favor."

"A favor," Juliet laughed. "So what do you get out this, anyway?"

"Jack ran track last year," Sarah said. She turned to look at Juliet with a significant smile. "He knows Mark."

"Ah, Mark. One of our very own athletic gods," Juliet said. "I'm surprised you're not into Goodwin for that reason."

Sarah scoffed. "I don't think so. Goodwin's a sleazy rat who plays football. Mark plays soccer and runs track."

"Oh, right. It's all about what sports they play," Juliet said, shaking her head. "Just be nice to this Jack kid, ok? He's done nothing to you."

"Yeah, yeah," Sarah said. "As long as he introduces me to Mark."

"And what if he doesn't?" Juliet asked.

"Then, he's going to have a hard time of it," Sarah said with an evil smirk.

Juliet laughed. "You are so mean."

-xXx-

Goodwin grunted as he lifted the heavy weight. Then slowly he lowered it back down to his side. He repeated this motion again and again until the set was finished. He put down the weights and wiped the sweat off his face with the arm of his white t-shirt.

"Hey, good job, Cullen. Go ahead and take a break," Coach Weaver said from his corner. Goodwin nodded his thanks and headed out of the weight room and into the hallway where the water fountain was.

"Hey, Goodwin."

Goodwin looked up as he wiped extraneous water from his lips. It was his long time friend Ethan Rom.

"Hey, man," Goodwin muttered, moving out of the way so Ethan could get a drink.

"So how do you like class today?" Ethan asked. He led the way into the gym so they could walk a lap or two.

"My cup of tea," Goodwin laughed. "I don't think the girls are having quite as much fun though."

"Right, right," Ethan agreed. There were maybe six girls total in their P.E. class, and every one of them complained constantly about any work they were required to do.

"So I hear you're dating some junior girl," Ethan commented.

Goodwin gave Ethan a surprised look. "How do people do that? I only asked her out yesterday."

Ethan smirked. "I have my sources."

"Huh," Goodwin surveyed his friend wearily. "Well, her name's Ana. She's in my Spanish class."

"Oh? And what happened to Danielle?" Ethan asked.

"You forgot that Danielle went back to France," Goodwin responded.

"Oh, that's right," Ethan murmured. He shrugged his shoulders. "So, Ana, huh? What's she like?"

"Lovely girl," Goodwin said. He glanced sideways at Ethan. "And of course, she's got the body of a Victoria Secret model."

Ethan laughed. "Yeah, right."

"Ok, maybe not. But she is pretty hot," Goodwin said.

"That's what it's all about, isn't it? You just wanna get in her pants," Ethan accused.

"So what if I do? Isn't that what you're supposed to do after you break up with someone? Get a rebound girl to sleep with you?"

"Sure it is," Ethan snorted.

"Hey, guys. Come on back now. I've gotta talk to the class," Coach Weaver called from the entrance to the weight room. The boys turned around and headed in that direction.

"So when are you taking her out?" Ethan asked.

"Saturday," Goodwin said with a smile.

"Ah, Saturday. The perfect date night," Ethan said.

-xXx-

"Hey, mom! I'm home!" Kate called as she stepped in the front door. She dropped her bag on the floor and headed for the kitchen.

"Mom, are you here?" Kate tried again. She grabbed a soda from the refrigerator and went upstairs. She went straight into her mother's room. There was Diane, standing in front of her closet clad only in a towel, her blonde hair dripping water onto the gray carpet. She obviously just got out of the shower.

"Hey, ma," Kate said, flopping down onto her mother's bed.

"Hey, Katherine. I didn't hear you come in," Diane said, smiling sweetly at her one and only daughter.

"So what are you doing?" Kate asked.

"Trying to find something nice to wear," Diane said, turning back to her closet. "I got a date tonight."

"Really," Kate stated unenthusiastically. "Aren't you supposed to work tonight?"

"No, that's tomorrow," Diane said. She pulled out a green cardigan sweater and threw it onto the bed.

"So who is it?" Kate asked apprehensively.

"Katherine," Diane said warningly. She added a khaki skirt to the sweater.

"What? Mom, I only asked who you were going out with," Kate said defensively.

"Right," Diane said suspiciously. She pulled out a pair of shoes.

"No, Mom, wear those," Kate said, pointing into the closet. "See? I'm being supportive. I just want to know his name and where you met him."

"I'll talk if you do," Diane said.

Kate sighed. "Fine. His name's Sawyer. He sits next to me in Algebra. You've met him."

"And when do y'all plan on going out?" Diane asked.

"Saturday. To the movies," Kate said.

"All right, then. Wayne," Diane said as she walked into the bathroom.

"Wayne?" Kate repeated with obvious disgust.

"Katie," Diane threatened.

"Sorry. So, Wayne?"

"Yes. His name is Wayne. I met him yesterday at the diner," Diane said.

Kate glared at the bathroom door.

"Now, Katie, why don't you go on downstairs so I can finish getting ready?" Diane said. "Don't you have homework to do?"

"Fine, fine," Kate muttered. "Have fun on your date," she added sarcastically before heading back downstairs.

-xXx-

Shannon ran downstairs. She'd heard the door bell ring at least three times and no one had answered it. She'd have to tell on the maid; it was her job to answer the door.

Shannon slid on the polished floor in the front hall, almost crashing into the wall. She winced when the doorbell sounded again. She quickly got to her feet and straightened her clothes as she came at last to the door. She opened it as she ran her fingers through stick straight blonde hair. The guy at the door was walking back toward the street and his green pick up truck.

"Hey. Did you want something?" she called.

The guy turned around. It was Boone's friend. Sean or something.

"If you're looking for Boone, he's out in his garage," Shannon continued when Sean didn't reply. "I could take you there if you want."

"Yes, thank you," Sean said after another moment of consideration.

Shannon nodded and closed the door behind her, gesturing to the sidewalk leading around the side of the house. There was something about Sean that was unnerving. He seemed nice enough, but the way he studied her with those deep brown eyes…it was strange.

"I'm sorry, but I do not remember your name," Sean said finally.

"Shannon."

Sean was about her height, maybe an inch shorter. He walked confidently next to her in just jeans, a white t-shirt, and generic tennis shoes. Shannon tried to think of something to say as the garage behind the house came into view, but nothing came to mind.

"Sayid! Thank God you're here!" Boone said, coming out of the garage.

Sayid! That was it. Not Sean. _Sayid._ Damn, she was horrible with names.

"Shannon, what are you doing here?" Boone asked.

"Showing your friend to the garage. You could show me a little gratitude," Shannon snapped.

"Fine. Thanks," Boone sighed. He waited. "Is there something else you want?"

"What're you guys gonna do?" Shannon asked innocently.

"Work on my car," Boone said evenly. Shannon noticed the smile that Sayid was trying to hide.

"Can I watch?" Shannon said.

Boone's eyebrows rose and Sayid looked down at his feet.

"No. It'd bore you," Boone said. He took Sayid by the arm and led him into the garage, shooting Shannon a glare over his shoulder.

"Fine," Shannon muttered to herself. She stomped back up to the house. In the kitchen, Carmen, the chef, stopped her.

"Miss, your father was looking for you," Carmen told her. "He's up in his study now."

"No, he's in the kitchen now," said a voice from the doorway. A decent, humble looking man with graying hair stood there. "Hello, Shannon, sweetheart."

"Hey, Dad," Shannon said, giving the man a hug.

"Do you want to come shopping with me? I need a woman's opinion about something," Shannon's father said with a smile.

"Sure, Daddy," Shannon replied with a grin of her own.

"Go wait for me in the car, Shan," he said. "I'll be out in a second."

Shannon nodded and headed back out to the garage. She plastered a smug smile on her face and walked in. She surveyed Sayid and Boone from the corner for a moment, as they had yet to see her. They were both bent under the hood of Boone's beat up Honda.

"Could you get me the wrench, Boone?" Sayid asked.

Boone turned away from car and saw Shannon standing there. He froze.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he growled.

"Oh, settle down, Boone. Dad's taking me shopping," Shannon said calmly. She could have sworn she saw Sayid suppress a smile.

Boone took a deep breath, readying himself to yell at Shannon. His angry look smoothed over, however, when he glanced over Shannon's shoulder.

"Hello, Adam," Boone said quietly. He grabbed a wrench from the toolbox and went back to his car.

"Boone. How are you today?" Adam said kindly, heading toward his own car. Boone held out a thumbs-up. "Excellent. Shannon and I will be gone for an hour or so. Sabrina won't be back for awhile, so you'll have the place to yourself. Don't burn it down." Adam laughed and started to get in the drivers seat of his black convertible. "Good day Boone and Boone's friend. I wish you luck with the car. Let's go, Shan."

Shannon went to passenger side door. She caught Sayid's eye and flashed him a pretty smile and a wink. He winked in return and went back to his work.

* * *

So…how is everyone doing today?  
yeah, and apparently, I forgot to give Juliet a maiden name, so forgive my lack of creative-ness about her and edmund...

To Shayid4eva: That last section was just for you, I'll have you know. It wasn't much, no, but I hope I did shayid justice anyhow.

Hey, and everyone thank you sooooo much for all these lovely reviews you've been giving me!! They always make me happy. :)

P.S. Happy New Lost Tonight!!


	5. Chapter 5

Jack lay in his bed on Saturday morning, feeling nauseous.

He was taking Sarah Bowen out tonight. On a date. No joke.

The mere thought of that attractive blonde made Jack's stomach turn over. He really liked Sarah. She was kind of like the girl next door, except she wasn't. She was prettier and sweeter than any neighbor-girl had a right to be.

To be honest, Jack had no idea what he was doing. He'd been on what, one real date? Sarah's dated lots of guys.

Jack sighed and rolled onto his side. This was something Sawyer could deal with. He was experienced. He knew just how to sweet talk a girl. But no. Sawyer was dating Kate and Jack was stuck with Sarah.

Ugh, now _there_ was something else to think about. Sawyer and Kate. Kate and Sawyer. Jack's long time friend Kate. Now _she_ had a claim on the girl-next-door role, literally. She lived down the street. Kate looked the part, too. Long brown curls and cute freckles. A dazzling smile. Great personality. She was perfect.

Ok, so maybe Jack was getting a little carried away in thinking about Kate. Sure, she was pretty, but she was no Sarah.

"Jack, aren't you up yet?" Maggie yelled and pounded on the door. Jack rolled his eyes and sat up in bed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm up."

-xXx-

"So what are you going to wear tonight?"

Kate shifted the phone to the other ear. She was sitting on her front porch swing, painting her toenails red. "I'm not sure."

"Well, you should decide," Claire said.

"Claire, it's only noon. He's not coming for another six and a half hours. I think I've got time," Kate said.

"You've got a point," Claire laughed. "It's just exciting, isn't it?"

"What is?" Kate asked absentmindedly.

"You dating Sawyer! That's exciting!" Claire exclaimed.

"I guess," Kate replied.

"You don't sound all that excited," Claire commented.

"I don't?"

"No. Tell me, Kate, you're not having second thoughts about Sawyer, are you? I mean, you've liked him since forever and now he's finally noticed you," Claire said.

"I've liked him for like a month. That's not forever," Kate snapped.

Claire waited.

Kate let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. So I'm not all that excited. Where's the harm in that?"

"There's not," Claire reassured her. "It's just…"

"It's just what?"

"I find it strange that just four days ago you were ecstatic about this date, and now you're not," Claire said quietly. "Kate, if there's something on your mind, you can tell me about it."

Kate was silent for a moment. "Look, Claire, I just finished painting my toenails and I should go figure out what I'm going to wear," Kate rambled. She knew as soon as the words were out of her mouth that they sounded phony. "So, I'll call you later."

"Ok. Bye, Kate. I hope you have a good time tonight," Claire replied good-naturedly.

Kate hung up the phone and stared at it in her hands. Truth was, she hadn't been thinking about Sawyer lately. Who she had been thinking about, though, she would never admit, even to herself.

-xXx-

"Sawyer."

Sawyer could feel himself drifting out of the blessedly peaceful depths of the unconscious.

"Sawyer."

Sawyer groaned and covered his closed eyes with his hands in an attempt to stay under.

"Saw-_yer._"

Sawyer groaned at the tiny voice whining at him. He managed to open his eyes slightly to see Delia bending over him. He gave a start at her sudden appearance, which only served to make the nine-year old laugh.

"Dee," Sawyer complained, now trying to blink bright sunlight from his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Kathy's in a bad mood," Delia announced, smiling at Sawyer's nickname for her. "I didn't want you to get in trouble again."

Sawyer sighed. It seemed like his foster mother was always in a bad mood. He grabbed the clock on the nightstand, groaning when he realized it was already one in the afternoon. Kathy would definitely be pissed; she hated it when Sawyer slept in. He got out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. Delia followed him and waited patiently in the hall. Sawyer then led her downstairs. "You eat lunch yet?"

"No," Delia said. She stooped at the bottom of the stairs and picked up Jacob, the two-year old staying with the odd family.

In the kitchen, they were confronted by Kathy.

"Finally, you're up," Kathy said venomously to Sawyer. It seemed that most of the time he was her least favorite foster child. So Sawyer tended to ignore Kathy, like now.

"I have to go to the store. Watch them," Kathy said, gesturing to the younger children.

"I have plans tonight," Sawyer remarked suddenly.

Kathy glared at him. It seemed that she had had plans this evening, too, as Sawyer had suspected.

"Fine." Kathy stormed out. They could hear her car cough and sputter all the way down the road. Sawyer rolled his eyes and turned to open a cabinet.

"So is peanut butter and jelly good for you?"

-xXx-

Boone flopped down on the couch next to Shannon, taking the TV remote from her hand.

"Boone!" Shannon squealed. She made a grab for the remote.

"Chill out," Boone said, holding her back. "I just want to check the scores of the game. It's the commercial anyway."

Shannon sighed in annoyance and stopped fighting him. "Why aren't you out doing something?" she asked, glaring at Boone.

"Because I just _love_ hanging out with you," Boone smiled at her. Shannon's heated gaze never changed. "My car's not fixed yet."

"Really?" Shannon asked, strangely and suddenly interested. She stopped glaring at Boone.

"Um, yeah," Boone replied. "Sayid's gonna come over later so we can finish."

Shannon didn't reply. She was now gazing off into space, but Boone didn't notice.

"What about you? Do you have any big plans for tonight?" Boone asked. He glanced at her blank face. "Hello? Shannon?"

"What? Oh, um, nothing. Kate's got a date and Claire's babysitting, so…" Shannon shrugged.

Boone nodded. He handed her the remote back. "Here."

"Oh, no thanks," Shannon said. She got up from the couch and wandered upstairs.

-xXx-

Charlie walked along the sidewalk, shivering in his worn gray jacket. The sun was sinking slowly toward the houses on his right; that must be west. The fading light gave the atmosphere a lovely golden glow.

Up around the corner was a playground. Charlie headed for it. He took a seat on the swing. It was strange to see the park deserted. At least it could give him some peace to think.

Charlie's parents had gone out to dinner, leaving Charlie and his brother Liam home alone. Liam had immediately called his girlfriend Karen. Charlie left when Liam and Karen had started making out in the living room. That was something he really didn't need to see.

"Charlie?"

Charlie looked up. "Claire! What are you doing here?"

Claire smiled at him, her pretty blue eyes twinkling. "I'm babysitting and Seth here wanted to come to the playground."

Charlie looked down and noticed a little brunette boy looking curiously up at him. He was clutching Claire's hand and half hiding behind her leg.

"So, would you like to play with us? We could use some help on the teeter-totter," Claire said.

"Oh, oh, sure," Charlie said, standing from the swing and running his hand through his hair.

"Seth, do you want to play on the teeter-totter?" Claire asked, bending down to look into her charge's face.

Seth giggled, revealing only one front tooth. "Ok. Race you!" He took off to the other side of the park.

Claire and Charlie shared a smile before they chased after Seth.

-xXx-

"Ok, so how's this?"

Libby looked up from her magazine. "Eh."

"Eh?" Ana repeated with raised eyebrows.

"Not as good as the jeans with the black shirt," Libby said, turning away again.

Ana looked behind her into the floor length mirror on the wall. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Which shirt was it?"

"The Led Zeppelin one," Libby replied.

Ana searched around for a minute before standing up straight, triumphantly holding the shirt she wanted. She stripped down and pulled on the chosen garments. She searched through her closet looking for shoes. The first pair she came out with happened to be a worn pair of Rocket Dogs.

"Ana," Libby said reproachfully, eyeing the shoes in her hands wearily.

"What?" Ana said innocently. She sat down on the bed to put on her shoes.

"Seriously?"

"Um, yes." Ana stood up and glanced in the mirror. "How do I look?"

"Easy and trashy," Libby said curtly.

Ana glared over her shoulder at the blonde. Turning back to the mirror, she started tugging at her shirt. "Is it…appropriate? For a date, I mean."

"Stop fidgeting. You look fine," Libby said, picking up her cell phone when it starting vibrating, signaling a text message.

"Who is it?" Ana asked, flopping onto the bed.

"Hugo," Libby replied with a smile.

Ana grinned wickedly. "Hurley?"

"Ana!"

"That's my mom," Ana said, standing up.

"Yeah, I should go, too," Libby said. "Have fun tonight."

"Yeah, we'll see," Ana laughed. "I'll call you later."

"Tell me all about Goodwin," Libby said with a grin, gathering up her things.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Ana sighed. "Here we go."

* * *

So I tried to think of some cool, obscure band to talk about, but all I could come up with was Led Zeppelin. Strange. 


	6. Chapter 6

"So, who is this? Justin Timberlake?"

"Um, I don't know," Goodwin replied. "To be honest, I'm not really that into music."

Ana turned to the window, trying to keep a disgusted look off her face. "So what _are_ you into?"

"Um, my car," Goodwin laughed. He patted the steering wheel in front of him lovingly. "She's my baby."

"Really." His car really wasn't that nice. Pretty crappy, actually.

"Yeah. I'm into football. Well, any sports, actually," Goodwin continued. "What about you?"

"What?"

"What are you into?" Goodwin pulled the car to a stop at a red light, and turned to look at Ana.

"Oh. Um. I don't know," Ana said. She was uncomfortable under Goodwin's stare.

"Well, what do you watch on TV?" Goodwin asked.

"I don't really watch TV," Ana said. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked forward, but she could still feel Goodwin's eyes on her. The light turned green. Ana waited for Goodwin to drive, but he didn't.

"Um, Goodwin? The light?"

Goodwin's eyes shifted upward to her face. Ana really didn't want to think about what he had been looking at or thinking about.

"What did you say?"

"The light. It's green," Ana said impatiently.

"Oh, right. Thanks." Goodwin's eyes lingered on her a moment longer before he turned his attention back to the road.

-xXx-

Shannon turned up the radio in her room. She opened her closet and surveyed the clothes inside. She needed something nice, but something that looked like she just threw it on without a care of how it made her look. She pulled a light blue top off the hanger and searched around for her jeans.

After she was dressed, Shannon combed her hair and put on a little make-up. She looked good. Casual, but good. It was perfect. Now, she just had to wait.

-xXx-

Jack waited nervously on the doorstep. Sarah's younger sister had answered the door a minute earlier, telling him Sarah would be down in a minute.

"Evening, Jack."

"Sarah! You look…really nice," Jack said. He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and showed Sarah to the car.

"So, is this your car?" Sarah asked, settling into her seat.

"No. It's my mom's," Jack said. "I'm trying to save up for my own," he added lamely.

"Right," Sarah said. "So tell me about track."

"Track? I don't run track," Jack said.

"You did last year," Sarah commented.

"Oh. Yeah, I-I guess I did," Jack said. He concentrated on the road, ignoring Sarah for the moment.

"Did you know Mark?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah," Jack answered shortly. Why was she so interested in track?

"He seems like a nice guy," Sarah said.

Jack didn't reply.

"I mean, if you like muscular, soccer playing guys," Sarah added.

Jack sighed. So apparently this was pity date. Great.

"So do you know anyone else who plays soccer?" Sarah asked.

This was going to be a long night.

-xXx-

"So…" Kate said, tapping her fingers to some imaginary beat on the armrest. She and Sawyer were currently in the car. "What movie are we going to see?"

"What do you wanna see?" Sawyer drawled, never taking his eyes off the road.

"I have no idea what's playing," Kate said.

"Well, then, take your pick," Sawyer said. "Animated, comedy, chick flick, action, or horror?"

Kate made a noise of disgust. "No animated. No chick flick. No stupid crap like _Scary Movie_."

"You don't like _Scary Movie_?" Sawyer asked.

"It's funny the first time you watch it, but after that…" Kate shook her head.

"Ok, so that leaves us horror and action," Sawyer said.

"What happened to comedy?" Kate asked.

"You said no-"

"I said nothing stupid. That's completely different," Kate said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Damn, girls are confusing," Sawyer muttered.

"_Girls_ are confusing?" Kate laughed.

-xXx-

Sayid pulled up in front of the mansion that was Boone's house. He put his truck in park and shut off the lights and engine. Taking off his seatbelt, Sayid stretched around a little bit, flexing his arm muscles.

Boone had asked him to come over again since they had yet to finish working on his car. To be honest, Sayid thought Boone was a bit of a dunce. Sure, he was a nice enough guy, but he couldn't control his emotions. He let them get the better of him. At any given time, you could look at Boone and see exactly what he was thinking. It didn't help that Boone sucked at lying, too. Sayid could always tell when Boone wasn't being truthful, but he never said anything. It was all about letting Boone keep his pride.

Sayid slowly got out of the cab. It wasn't that he didn't like Boone; Sayid just didn't want to spend another whole evening trying to teach something to Boone that the boy had no aptitude for. It was bad enough that Sayid got stuck helping Boone in math class, but to try to teach him about cars and engines too? That was just too much.

Maybe Boone's sister would be there though. She seemed nice. Pretty, too. It might not be so bad to get to know her.

Sayid had reached the door by now. He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. Here goes nothing.

-xXx-

"So here we are," Sawyer said, pulling into a parking spot. He and Kate got out of the car and walked into the movie theater. They got in line for tickets, even though they had never reached a decision about what to see.

Up ahead at the counter, Sawyer could see Ana Lucia and her date. _Goodwin_. As much as he liked Kate, Sawyer had a growing soft spot for Ana. He knew it was useless because she would never feel the same way. Ana was too independent. Either way, though, Sawyer had to stop himself from staring.

Ana and Goodwin had just gotten their tickets. Goodwin tried to put his arm around Ana's shoulders, but she blew him off. Sawyer smirked. Man, did she have an attitude.

Also in line, a few people behind Goodwin and Ana were Jack and Sarah. They were standing pretty far away from each other and Sawyer could practically feel the awkward silence from here.

"What are you looking at?" Kate asked. She followed Sawyer's gaze. "Oh, it's Jack! And is that Sarah?" She looked at Sawyer for confirmation; she knew that Jack and Sawyer were good friends and he would know.

"Yeah, it's Sarah," Sawyer muttered. For some reason, he was suddenly uncomfortable about the way Kate was looking at Jack. It didn't seem like she liked him, but it was just…off.

"We should say hello," Kate said, not taking her eyes off Jack and Sarah.

"Sure, whatever you want," Sawyer replied wearily, stepping forward as the line moved.

-xXx-

Goodwin led Ana into the theater with a firm hold on her hand. She hadn't been able to make him let go of her, even though she'd asked at least twice. He was getting really annoying. He'd seemed like an ok guy when he'd spoken to her in Spanish that one day, but now…Dread settled in Ana's chest like a dead weight. She wanted nothing more than to get away from Goodwin. She was still debating whether ditching him was rude or not when he found them seats in the middle of the theater.

Ana and Goodwin sat in silence for at least five minutes. The seats around them filled up fairly quickly. Ana found herself tapping her foot on the floor, apparently impatient for the lights to dim and the movie to begin.

"Well, hello there, Sarah."

Ana looked up, surprised at hearing Goodwin's voice. Coming up the row were Jack and a blonde girl, assumingly Sarah. They took the empty seats on the other side of Goodwin. Jack waved briefly at Ana, before turning his attention to the ads flashing across the screen.

"So, how you been, babe?" Goodwin asked Sarah. Ana snorted at the nickname. Both Goodwin and Sarah glared at her for it.

"I'm all right," Sarah said. "A little-"

"Shh!"

Ana glanced over her shoulder. Sawyer and Kate were sitting behind them. Apparently, Sawyer was irritated that Goodwin and Sarah were talking in the near silence of the theater: the lights were in the process of being extinguished and the previews had started.

Huh. That's interesting.

-xXx-

Jack shifted yet again in his seat. He wasn't a particular fan of romantic comedies, but he could stand them if he had to. This one, however, was particularly boring. Jack glanced over at Sarah. She seemed to be enjoying the movie. Well good for her.

Jack could really understand Sarah now. She didn't want to date him because she liked him. No, she wanted to date him for something else…Mark, maybe. This harsh reality had really put Jack down for awhile. That was towards the beginning of the movie. Now (with maybe an hour left to go) Jack decided it was a good thing that he'd gotten a look into Sarah's motives. He was completely free to get over her now. He could even start to like someone else, if he wanted.

Yes. He just needed to not think about Sarah anymore. No problem. She really wasn't that interesting, anyway. Ok. So, who to think about? Hm. There was always Kate. Or Cindy. Or Claire. Or Ana. Huh. Now there was an idea. Ana seemed like a nice person. Not at all Jack's usual type, but a pleasant person nonetheless. She seemed intelligent. She was very pretty. Not at all boring. Jack was quite sure though that Sawyer liked Ana. That would be a problem, if it was true.

Well, we'll just have to wait and see. Jack just couldn't turn him attraction for a person on or off on a whim. Besides, he had to get through tonight first.

Jack chanced a peek down the row at Ana. The light from the movie reflected off her face, tinting her skin blue. She looked a little…annoyed, actually.

Jack faced forward again. He really had to get through this date with Sarah. Really. Mooning over Ana would not help that task, either.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Jack had just been trying to concentrate on the movie when someone yelling had disrupted his concentration.

"Ana! Calm down!"

Ana had jumped from her seat and she was yelling at Goodwin. Practically everyone in the theater was watching.

"You're such a perv!" Ana yelled, picking up her drink. She took off the lid and made to throw it at Goodwin. Smart boy he was, though, he jumped out of the way just in time. Unfortunately, the flying liquid continued on through the air and splashed on Sarah.

Sarah screamed. Her whole chest and lap was soaked through. Some ice might've even gone down her shirt. It was hilarious-well, would have been, had it been anyone but Sarah. She definitely didn't think it was funny. Instead, she was screaming and freaking out. Goodwin started handing her napkins to try to mop up the mess, but that only made it worse. In the midst of all this chaos, Jack noticed Ana slip away. He didn't even have a second to ponder her getaway, however, because Sarah was demanding that he take her home _immediately_.

Goodwin tried to follow them out to the parking lot, but Sarah was not having it. She told him to go away and never talk to her again. She stormed off and got in the car without another word. Jack was left standing there. He shrugged and got in the car.

-xXx-

Kate wandered into her house, a big dreamy smile on her face. Sawyer had just dropped her off. Of course, he hadn't let her out of the car without a nice steamy kiss to finish up the evening. It had been perfect.

Kate walked from room to room, looking for her mother, all the while thinking about Sawyer. The way he smiled at her, the way he put his arm around her shoulders, the way he smelled…

So apparently Diane wasn't home yet. That was just great. Kate rolled her eyes, heading to the living room. She planned to camp out on the couch until her mother got home. It was insane that Diane was _still_ out with Wayne.

On her way to the couch, Kate hit the button that was flashing on the answering machine. It was a message from Shannon:

"Kate! It's Shannon. You need to call me! As soon as you get home! Do not wait! I have news. I don't know if it's good or not. Oh, have you talked to Claire? She's got something special going on, too. So call me!"

Kate shook her head at Shannon, but picked up the phone nonetheless. She dialed and listened to it ring, waiting for someone to pick up. She wondered what this "news" could be.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Shan. It's Kate. What's up?"

* * *

A Few Notes: 

1. And so that is pretty much the end of Sarah, except maybe a random reference, but not of Goodwin. I know that may upset a few of you (cough, nikki2513) but hey. It has to get worse before it gets better, right?  
2. Teeter totter: see saw – playground equipment that goes up and down when two sit on the ends - kind of looks like a lever. Rocket dogs: brand of shoes.  
3. Next chapter: SHAYID. Well, there will be other people, too, but you know.

So good times.


	7. Chapter 7

Monday again, Claire thought to herself grimly as she walked out her front door. She set off down the street in the direction of the school. She lived about ten minutes away and walked whenever she could. Claire especially enjoyed the days when the sun was shining happily as it rose higher and higher in the sky. Today was a bit dreary, though. The sky was heavy with gray clouds and the pavement was a little wet.

Claire didn't mind today, however. She had too much on her mind. What with Shannon's family drama and Kate's Sunday hibernation, Claire just did not have the time to think about the weather.

Yes, Shannon's drama had become quite insane. Claire wasn't sure what to do about it. Ok, so she didn't actually know all the details yet. Shannon had only given her the basics, wanting to give details when she could be face to face with her friends. Claire had tried to bribe Shannon in any way she could, even offering to take her shopping, but nothing could make her budge. And so, Claire had to wait.

She tried calling Kate on Sunday so they could go see Shannon, but Diane had answered the phone and said something vague about Kate not feeling well. Claire had a nasty feeling that whatever was going on at the Austen household had something to do with Wayne, Diane's mysterious new boy toy.

Thinking this all through again made Claire quicken her pace. She was dying to know what was going on with her friends. Not to mention, she had some things to tell them, too.

First off, on Saturday night, Claire had been hanging out with Charlie as she babysat her neighbor. When it got dark, Charlie offered to walk her and little Seth back to the house. Claire graciously accepted.

At the front door, Claire sent Seth into the house ahead of her so she could say good bye to Charlie. That's when it happened. Charlie simply leaned in and kissed her on the lips. He muttered something about seeing her on Monday, and then strolled away, whistling some made-up tune. Claire had been shocked, to say the least.

Then, later after she had gotten home, Claire was rummaging around her refrigerator looking for a midnight snack. She moved on to see what was in the pantry when a paper sticking out of a drawer caught her attention.

The paper was crumpled from being shoved in the drawer. Claire slowly took it out and began to read what appeared to be a letter addressed to her mother. The handwriting was loopy and hard to read, so Claire could only make out a few words.

…_I can't tell you how much…terrible…she knows about us…I don't want to…you, Gabrielle…this…stop…must…never told…never again…I know I promised you, but she's my w…_

Claire couldn't read anything else. It was signed 'CFS'.

-xXx-

Sawyer sat down heavily in his seat. He was early to class. Early. That _never_ happened.

Except today. Today, Sawyer made sure he got to class at a reasonable time because this was the only time he'd see Kate.

Damn, four minutes. The bell would ring in four minutes. Could time move any slower?

Someone walked in the classroom door. Sawyer looked up quickly to see if it was Kate. It wasn't.

"Hey," Sawyer greeted as Sayid sat down in front of him. Sayid didn't reply. Sawyer rolled his eyes.

Two minutes.

Where was everybody? There were maybe five people total in the classroom where there should have been twenty.

One minute.

A few people trickled in, no one Sawyer really knew. A group of loud senior girls and their big mouthed friends clustered in the doorway to talk for a moment more. Mr. Grant came over to tell them all to get to class.

The bell rang. Still no Kate. Where _was_ she?

"Ok, everybody, today we're gonna go over factoring polynomials…"

Kate and Boone walked casually through the door just as Mr. Grant was about to close it. They were so absorbed in their conversation they didn't notice the teacher's annoyed face.

"Austen, Carlyle, you know I have to count you tardy, right?" Mr. Grant asked.

Kate and Boone nodded their heads and took their seats. Kate never so much as glanced at Sawyer. She tapped Boone on the shoulder and whispered a few things in his ear before settling back in her seat.

Sawyer sighed. "Hey, Kate. How's it going?"

Kate glanced over at him. "Fine."

"How was the rest of your weekend?" Sawyer asked, ignoring the fact that Kate didn't seem to want to carry on a conversation.

"Fine," Kate said again. She was intently watching the math Mr. Grant was performing on the board.

"You wanna hang out after school today?" Sawyer asked.

Kate glanced at him again. "Uh, no, I've got plans today. Sorry."

Sawyer rolled his eyes. Hard to get? That wasn't Kate's game.

"Ok, I'll go ahead and give you this worksheet," Mr. Grant said loudly, interrupting Sawyer's thoughts. "You can work with the people around you, but don't get too loud."

Sawyer looked at the worksheet he'd been given. He had no idea what to do with it. "Hey, Sayid. Can you help me out?"

"No, but perhaps Boone can," Sayid said coldly. Sawyer would have taken a slight offense if he hadn't noticed the glare Sayid directed at Boone.

"Hey, maybe you should just stay away from me," Boone suggested angrily. Kate placed a hand on his shoulder as if to hold him back. He shook his head and took a deep breath. "You better stay away from Shannon, Sayid. You don't deserve her."

"I think that's up to Shannon, not the son of her father's girlfriend," Sayid murmured dangerously.

"Wait, what's going on here?" Sawyer interrupted. "What's going on with Shannon?"

"Nothing," Kate said quietly, not looking at him. Both Sayid and Boone turned away, too. Sawyer gave them each a 'you're crazy' look and tried to figure out his worksheet.

-xXx-

Ana had to work to not kick her CPU. Don't get her wrong, she was pretty good with computers. It was just this program that didn't want to let her do anything was crap.

To take her mind off her troubles, Ana looked around the classroom. She spotted Kate and tried to get a look over the younger girl's shoulder. If Kate's project was better than hers, then Ana was going to be extremely irritated.

Oh. Kate was playing solitaire. That's funny. They weren't allowed to play solitaire.

Man, what does Sawyer see in her anyway? Ok, so she's kinda pretty and she's not dumb, but other than that...she's a sophomore. And it's not like-

Wait. Was she seriously doing this? Trying to figure out why Sawyer dated Kate? That's not good.

Ana shook her head and tried to get back to work.

-xXx-

"Come on, Shannon, tell us," Claire whined. She sat down at the lunch table next to Kate.

Shannon sighed. "It's not that big a deal."

"Shannon, you left me two messages on Saturday night, begging me to call you. Now, spill," Claire demanded.

Shannon looked at her wearily, trading a glance with Kate. "Well, it's like this. Saturday, Sayid came over to help Boone with his car, right, but they got in a fight and-"

"What about?" Claire interrupted.

Shannon looked at her blankly for a moment. "I don't know, they were in the garage. So, Boone storms into the house and yells at me for a little bit until Sabrina told him off, saying it was rude to lose your temper in front of guests. But that only made Boone angrier, because he hadn't realized Sayid had followed him in."

"Why was Boone yelling at you?" Claire asked when Shannon paused to draw a breath.

"I don't know. Why does Boone do anything?" Shannon snapped, rolling her eyes.

"But-"

"Claire, if you keep interrupting, we're never gonna get through this before lunch is over," Kate said quietly. She wouldn't meet anyone's eyes.

Claire raised her eyebrows at Shannon. "Fine. Continue please."

"Ok. So then my dad walks in and tells Boone to be quiet and asks what the problem is. Boone launched into some long tirade about Sayid and me and my dad and Sabrina and whole bunch of other things. My dad only cared about one thing, though. He started asking Sayid all these crazy, personal questions. I tried to interrupt, to defend Sayid, but he wouldn't stop.

"What was he asking?" Claire asked, ignoring the eye roll from Kate.

"Like how many girls has he dated," Shannon replied. She and Claire traded a grin. "So anyway, Sayid was really good about it. He answered all the questions and didn't get angry. Boone was being a retard, though; he was pacing in the background. So finally, my dad gets done and he gets ready to tell me something –"

"What, what?" Claire asked eagerly.

"I think he was going to tell me that I could date Sayid!" Shannon said excitedly.

"No way!" Claire screeched. Even Kate looked up, obviously interested.

"Yes, exciting, but," Shannon sighed. "Sabrina never gave him the chance. She started saying something about 'he's a boy of color, you don't want that for your only daughter, do you, Adam?' She was really rude."

"No offense to Boone, but I never liked her," Claire said, immediately coming to Shannon's defense.

"Yeah, well, it gets worse," Shannon said. "My dad and Sabrina decided to tell us then that they were going to get married four months ahead of schedule. That's in _three_ weeks. _And_ Sabrina wants to adopt me to be my legal guardian."

"What? Are they ready to get married in three weeks?" Claire said.

"Did you not hear the part about the adoption?" Shannon glared.

"Yes, I heard it, but there's not much you can do, is there?" Claire said.

"Just talk to your dad about it. I'm sure he'll understand," Kate suggested.

"It's funny that you're telling me to tell my dad how I feel when you won't do the same with your mom," Shannon said venomously.

"Yes, how is dear Wayne?" Claire asked.

"He came over on Sunday," Kate said, frowning. "He seemed ok, I guess. But he's still a scumbag."

"Well, anyone Diane meets at that diner where she works is a scumbag," Claire said sympathetically.

"Yeah, whatever," Kate muttered. "She can screw up her own life. That's her right, right? So what else is going on with Sayid?"

"Oh, right," Shannon said. "Well, Sabrina said that once she's adopted me, she can tell me who I can and can't date, and I'll actually have to listen. So according to her, as her first act as _my mother_, she's forbidding me to date or have anything to do with Sayid. Boone's not allowed to see him either."

"You're not actually going to listen, are you?" Claire asked, outraged.

"No, of course not. I offered to walk Sayid to the door and told him that I thought we should date. He was real sweet about it. Said he didn't want to get me in trouble, but I don't care. He's a really nice guy," Shannon said happily.

"So are you guys' official?" Kate asked.

"No, not yet. He said he wants to take me out a couple times first," Shannon said.

"That's so sweet," Claire grinned.

"Well, your new boyfriend isn't half bad either," Shannon said.

"Charlie's not my boyfriend," Claire corrected.

"You're just romantically involved now," Kate pointed out.

"Aren't we all?" Shannon sighed.

"Not with Charlie," Claire laughed.

* * *

I'm terribly sorry, I know it's been _forever_ since I updated, but I've been really busy lately. It'll be pretty slow work in the next couple weeks, too, just to warn you (I have exactly 14 days of school left! Yay!!!)

Well, I should go, I'm supposed to be doing homework. :(

Hey, seriously, if anyone has ANY ideas, I'm all ears.


	8. Chapter 8

"Good morning everyone!" Ms. Davis exclaimed happily, walking into the classroom.

"What's good about it?" Ana muttered under her breath. She glared unhappily at the too bright sunshine that was streaming in through the windows.

"Today, I've got a special surprise for you," Ms. Davis said. She approached the class, her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "We're going to the lab to do an experiment. Isn't that exciting?"

A few students looked interested, but most barely picked up their heads from the desks where they were sleeping. Jack was one of the few who were paying attention and therefore curious.

"Ok, I'm going to split you up into groups of four. When we go into the lab, one team to a table. Let me go ahead and pass out the instruction papers," Ms. Davis continued. She walked around the room, passing out papers and putting people together.

"Ok, everyone, let's go into the lab," Ms. Davis said, pointing exaggeratedly toward the door.

"Um, Ms. Davis? You didn't put me in a group," Claire said loudly, holding her hand in the air. Ms. Davis looked blankly at her for a moment.

"Yeah, us too," Ana said, pointing between her and Jack.

"Well, why don't you all join together," Ms. Davis said. "You're neighbor, too, Claire. Uh, I'm sorry, dear, what's your name again?"

"Ben," the small boy replied. He promptly got up and led the way into the lab.

Ana shook her head. She seriously did not get that weirdo kid.

In the lab, Jack, being a gentleman, retrieved goggles for everyone on his team. Ana and Claire accepted theirs graciously, but Ben's lip curled when Jack offered a pair. The four then put on their aprons. Ana felt ridiculous: the goggles, even though secured around her head with a band, kept sliding down her nose and the apron was way too long. Even Jack, who was at the very least a good eight inches taller than her, was having trouble.

"Ok! Everyone, you can get started. I'll be coming around to make sure you've set up the apparatus correctly," Ms. Davis yelled over the din.

"Ok, guess we should start, then," Jack muttered awkwardly, when none of the others made a move to get started. He got out a graduated cylinder and a beaker and filled them each with water. He covered the mouth of the graduated cylinder with the palm of his hand and attempted to invert it in the large beaker. The attempt resulted in water everywhere.

"You're doing it wrong," Ben snapped. He snatched the equipment away from Jack and started to refill them with water from the sink.

"Come on," Ana murmured to Claire. They headed across the room to get paper towels to clean up the mess. When they returned, Jack and Ben were arguing about the best way to achieve their goal.

"But that's the wrong-" Ben was saying.

"That's what she told us to do," Jack said sternly. He turned to Ana, looking for support. "Didn't she?"

"Um, sure," Ana said curtly. She began cleaning up. She didn't notice that immediately both Ben and Jack called an end to their argument at her words. Claire, however, was not as oblivious.

"Why don't you try, Ana?" Claire suggested. "You've got smaller hands. I bet you could make it work."

Ana shrugged and pressed her palm against the top of the graduated cylinder. She flipped it swiftly and inverted it in the beaker without making a huge mess. There were no air bubbles in the graduated cylinder. It was a success.

"Ok. Good," Jack nodded. He ducked under the table to get something else. Ana just rolled her eyes.

"Good job, Ana," Ben said quietly. He was staring at her avidly. Claire stifled a giggle.

"Now, we need to attach this," Jack said, standing back up straight. He held out some other equipment, including some tubing. Without waiting for anyone's reply, he set to work setting everything up. In the meantime, Ana walked away from the table to gather up the chemicals they'd need. Ben followed her.

"You have to get down to eye level to measure that," Ben remarked. Ana jumped at the sound of his voice.

"I know that," Ana snapped. She sighed and went back to what she was doing.

"So do you have a boyfriend?" Ben asked.

Ana gave him a strange look. "Why?"

"I was just curious," Ben shrugged. "If you didn't, I'd…consider asking you out."

Ana paused. What was going on? "Well, I'm involved. Sorry. Why don't you take this back to the table?"

If Ana didn't know any better, she would say that Ben looked disappointed as he turned around to do as she asked. No, she could tell he was pissed. Pissed that she was 'involved'? Well, actually, she wasn't exactly involved with anyone…Goodwin was a pig and no one else she liked was available. Well, Goodwin wasn't _exactly_ a pig. Pervert, maybe, but she could get over that. Hm…

Anyway, so Ben liked her. That was just…_that_. She couldn't deal with that right now, what with Goodwin and her mom and whatever was going in her head about Sawyer.

Ana made her way back to her lab table, finding her team well into the experiment already.

"Ana," Jack nodded as she approached. "We already mixed the chemicals. We just have to wait until it stops reacting so we can measure the hydrogen gas collected."

"Cool," Ana replied. She pulled her paper toward her and set to work writing down her observations.

"So, Ana," Jack said quietly. He was standing next to her, doing his own work. "How was your weekend?"

Ana glanced up. Ben was seemingly absorbed in his work and Claire was talking with a friend at another table. Jack was staring so hard at his paper that Ana was sure he wasn't really seeing it. "Fine."

"How was your-date?"

Ana's brow furrowed in confusion. What was Jack doing asking her about her date?

"That guy you were with, did he upset you? You left the theater pretty quick," Jack continued.

Was that concern in Jack's voice? Seriously, what was he doing, asking her about this? "No, he didn't upset me."

"Are you going to go out with him again?" Jack asked. He still continued to stare at his paper.

"I don't know," Ana replied. Man, what was wrong with boys today?

-xXx-

"Afternoon, Claire," Charlie muttered as he sat down. It was the last period of the day. Art. With Claire. The girl he actually had a dream about the other night. He dreamed that he had walked her home and then kissed her goodnight.

Charlie was horrified to find out that it had not been a dream. He had actually walked with Claire over the weekend and he had actually kissed her goodnight.

Then Charlie had freaked out. What if he scared Claire away? He didn't want to do that. She was a _nice_ girl. Then on Sunday, after spilling what was wrong with him, Liam told him to chill and just act normal whenever he saw Claire next.

And so Charlie had taken his older brother's advice. He walked coolly into the art room and took his seat, saying hello but not making eye contact with Claire.

"Hello, Charlie," Claire said brightly. Charlie could see her grinning brightly out of the corner of his eye.

"How are you today?" Charlie asked.

"Good, good. And you?" Claire replied.

"Not bad," Charlie said. He felt sweaty. Was it hot in here? Why did Claire have to smile at him like that? It was making him nervous.

"Ok, everyone," Mr. Don said loudly, clapping his hands. "Today, we're…"

Charlie tuned out the teacher, choosing to look out the window instead of dwelling on anything, class work or pretty girls.

By the end of the class, Charlie was feeling better about his situation. He and Claire had gotten along swimmingly. There was no awkwardness, no tension. Just good plain fun.

"So anyway," Claire said, "I think I'm supposed to baby-sit again this weekend, but maybe we could-"

She was cut off by the end of the day bell. She smiled sweetly and gathered together her books.

Without thinking, Charlie touched Claire's arm lightly. He leaned in close. "I would love to hang out with you this weekend." He pressed his lips to hers and walked out, grinning crazily.

-xXx-

So what was the deal with guys today?

Ana had the strangest feeling that she was some kind of pawn in a game that many of the boys she knew were playing.

So far today, three boys had made it obvious they were interested.

1. Ben. Strange kid though he was, he was pretty smart. He was a sophomore, though. That meant he was a year younger than her. He was a little funny looking, what with the bulging eyes and the tendency to stare. Not bad overall, Ana supposed; she just didn't know him.

2. Jack. The least obvious of her three suitors. Very smart, a bit tense at times, it seemed. Easy on the eyes, that was for sure. Not very reliable as a boyfriend, though. From what she had heard, Jack was pretty inexperienced with women. And after that incident with Sarah…he may not be interested in casual dating.

3. Goodwin. Yes, that's right. There was a very good chance Goodwin had talked his way back into the picture. He had stopped her in the hallway before class and apologized for 'feeling her up'. Yes, those were his actual words. Anyway, he sweet talked her into forgiving him. The bell rang before he could ask her out again, but Ana knew it was coming. She hadn't decided what she was going to tell him yet.

Ana's thoughts were interrupted by the end of day bell. She began to gather together all her books and papers.

Well, one thing was clear. She'd take Jack or Ben- hell, even Goodwin- before she'd surrender to Sawyer. That was for damn sure.

-xXx-

"Shannon! Shannon!"

Shannon turned around to see Sayid running down the hall to meet her.

"Shannon, what are you doing tomorrow night?" Sayid asked when he reached her.

"I don't know. Nothing probably. Why?" Shannon said.

"Tell your dad that you made plans to study with some friends. Don't tell him who, just that you'll be back by ten," Sayid said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Shannon, tomorrow night meet me at the library on King Street at six. We can study a bit, but then I'll take you to dinner," Sayid said calmly.

"Oh, I get it. You want me to tell my dad that I'm going to the library to study so he won't get angry that I'll be with you," Shannon said, grinning.

"Exactly," Sayid said, brushing the hair out her face. "That way you won't get in trouble."

"It's perfect," Shannon said, giving Sayid a hug .

-xXx-

Ana stood at her locker, staring into it blankly, trying to remember what books she needed.

"Hey, chica."

Ana gave a start. "Sawyer."

Sawyer smiled cheekily and leaned against the locker next to hers. "How are you today, sweetheart?"

"Don't call me sweetheart," Ana snapped. She grabbed a book and shut her locker. She bent down to put the book into her bag. She could feel Sawyer's eyes on her the whole time. "Stare much?"

Sawyer smirked and let his eyes trail down her body. Ana got the horrible feeling that he could see down her shirt and quickly stood up straight again.

"Sawyer, what do you want?"

"What, I can't just say hello to one of my good friends?" Sawyer replied, still looking at her body.

"You'd better not let Kate see you staring at me like that," Ana said quietly. She crossed her arms over her chest. "She might get the wrong idea."

"No, she wouldn't," Sawyer said, taking a step closer. He looked at her face now. "She left already. Besides, I'm having too much fun. _She_ would never let me look at her like this."

Ana cursed under her breath and made to walk away. Sawyer grabbed her arm.

"Don't go yet, chica," Sawyer said. He gripped her tightly and pulled her to him. "I wanted to ask you something."

"What makes you think I want to hear anything you have to say?" Ana said dangerously. She made an attempt to pull out of Sawyer's grasp.

Sawyer chuckled in her ear, making her shiver. "You were staring at me all through P.E. today. Now, I think that says something."

"I was not star-"

"Is everything ok over there?"

Sawyer and Ana both looked over to see a teacher watching them closely. Sawyer immediately let go of Ana and forced a smile.

"Everything's fine," Sawyer said. The teacher looked at him suspiciously but slowly walked away. As soon as she (and most of the other students) was gone from the hallway, Sawyer turned to Ana and shoved her back into the lockers. He placed hands on either side of her head and stared into her eyes.

"We were getting off track. I only wanted to know if you were ok after that asshole touched you on Saturday."

Ana looked at him confusedly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good," Sawyer said. "Now, tell me, Ana. Do you like me?"

"What? No, I do not like you," Ana snapped. She would have tried to push him away by now, but that would have meant she would have had to touch him. Touching Sawyer could only lead to worse things.

"All right, all right. No need to get snappy. Just curious," Sawyer considered her for a moment. "Well, if you're in denial, I might as well follow your lead. Should be easier for me though, what with Kate around and all." He laughed. "See you around, sweetheart."

Sawyer leaned in and kissed her jaw. He walked away as if nothing had happened. Ana, however, stayed where she was.

What in hell was Sawyer talking about? Did he just say what she thought he had?

* * *

Man, I have been so lazy lately. I meant to have this chapter done like ten years ago. Fortunately, I was suddenly struck with inspiration the other day and wrote all day long. I had to wait to post it though, because we're in the middle of moving and I didn't have internet.

All that chemistry crap was based off an experiment I actually did in class one day. Ha, just thought I'd impress you with my awesome chemistry knowledge.

My favorite review from last chapter (I laughed when I read it, no idea why): Benjamin Linus: You should bring Ben back.

In my eyes, my version of Ben is a little retarded and a bit off, but at least I included him.

Next chapter I'm going to try to add more drama because I'm feeling a little bored by this story.


	9. Chapter 9

Boone sat down at the table with his tray, absorbed in his thoughts. He didn't notice Kate as she sat down across from him.

"I didn't know you ate breakfast at school," Kate observed loudly, making Boone jump.

Boone sighed. "Better than sitting at home where there is wedding crap everywhere."

Kate nodded in understanding. "How are you doing?"

"All right, I guess," Boone said.

"Good," Kate said. "Listen, Boone, I need to ask you for a favor."

"What is it?"

"Well," Kate hesitated. "You know Shannon?"

"My soon-to-be sister?" Boone said bitterly. "Yeah, I know her."

"She's got a few CDs of mine. Do you think you could get them back for me?" Kate asked.

"Kate- I'm not exactly on speaking terms with Shannon right now," Boone said, obviously irritated. "Why don't you just ask her?"

"I already have. She wants to keep them," Kate replied. "I wanted to use them for a project of mine."

"Fine, fine. I'll see what I can do," Boone said. Kate smiled at him.

"Thanks, Boone," Kate smiled. "I'll see you in class, 'k?"

Boone watched Kate as she got up and left the table, heading out of the cafeteria. His eyes traveled up and down her small frame before he realized what he was doing. He was checking Kate out! Boone hit himself in the head and went back to his breakfast.

-xXx-

Maggie Shephard sighed as she observed her bedroom. Her husband, Christian, had left clothes and other things lying everywhere, like usual. He always expected her to clean it up, too. And that she did.

Maggie set about sorting the dirty clothes to put in the washing machine. One pile for darks, one for lights, one for reds. With each pair of pants she stuck her hands in all the pockets to make sure there was nothing in there. She often found pens, sticks of gum, and coins.

In one such pair of pants, a pair of jeans, Maggie got a little lucky. She found a twenty dollar bill, a paper clip, a piece of paper, chapstick. The money Maggie pocketed. The paper clip and chapstick she threw into a box on the dresser. The note Maggie picked up to put in the drawer in Christian's bedside table when the writing caught her eye. It was more feminine than Christian's and much more readable, not at all the typical doctor scribble.

Maggie slowly opened the note. She wasn't sure she really wanted to know what was written there. Something told her things would be better if she didn't know. But her curiosity got the better of her. And so Maggie began to read:

_Christian:_

_I know you said we couldn't see each other anymore, but I miss you. I know it's wrong. I know you are married. I know we both have children. Children that go to the same school. I cannot help it though. I still want you._

_Please reconsider your decision. We could be more careful this time. I promise this time I'll be more careful. I'll make sure I take birth control every day._

_Please, Christian, I'm begging you to take me back. I miss you._

_You know I could always tell dear Theresa. I'm sure she would enjoy reading the love letters you've sent me._

_Please, Christian._

_I love you!_

_Gabrielle_

Maggie's hands shook as she folded up the note and put it in the drawer. She went about her business as usual without a thought to the mysterious woman named Gabrielle.

-xXx-

"I wonder what's keeping Hurley," Libby muttered. She picked mindlessly at her salad while she scanned the crowd of people in the cafeteria in hopes of seeing Hurley.

"I don't know," Ana said. She didn't even bother to look up to help Libby look. She stared at her lunch, thinking hard.

"What's with you today?" Libby remarked to Ana, giving up her search for Hurley. "Usually you're very chatty during lunch."

"There's just been a lot of crap going on lately," Ana said.

"Oh. Hey, look! There's Hurley!" Libby said. "Where's he going?"

Ana rolled her eyes, tapping her fork impatiently against her tray. Libby could be so annoying sometimes.

"Oh, he's just going to get in line. Good," Libby said with a sigh. "Ok. Tell me about your crap. It will distract me."

"Ok. Well, there's this guy," Ana said.

Libby snorted. "Who?"

Ana sighed and ignored her question. "He's got a girlfriend, but I'm pretty sure he likes me."

"Ok, so who is it?" Libby asked again.

Ana hesitated. "Libby-"

"Hey, ladies!"

"Hurley!" Ana looked relieved that Hurley had interrupted.

"Why don't you want to tell me?" Libby asked. She completely ignored Hurley for the moment.

"So how are you today, Hurley?" Ana said, turning her attention to him instead of Libby.

"Whatever, Ana. We can try this again when you decide you still trust me," Libby said. "So how did you do on that math test, Hurley?" She turned away so that Ana would be completely excluded from the conversation.

"Fine." Ana rolled her eyes. She got up from the table and left.

-xXx-

Boone walked slowly along to street, not really paying attention to anything around him. He was headed off to the library. He wanted something new to read-and more importantly, a reason to get out of the house. Sabrina had been nagging him about who knows what- chores, probably- but it was annoying and Boone just had to leave.

He'd been feeling a little depressed, anyway, lately. His mom had someone, Shannon had someone-well, Shannon _wished_ she had someone. Boone had very few friends, let alone a girlfriend.

But what about Kate?

What _about_ Kate?

She'd shown signs of interest in the past. So what if she was Shannon's friend?

But she was dating that Sawyer guy. Obviously, she wasn't interested now.

But what if she was? What if Kate suddenly became interested just because he, Boone, offered her something different?

Boone walked into the library, shaking his head. These thoughts about Kate were ridiculous and he knew it. So ridiculous that he could laugh long and hard about it just because he-

"Shannon?"

Shannon and Sayid were sitting at a table nestled in the corner of the library. Their chairs were close together. They had been-_kissing_.

Yes! Sayid and Shannon were here, hidden away in the library, making out, when he was walking around aimlessly, thinking about his step-sister's friends. They didn't even have the decency to spring apart and be shocked to see him.

"Boone? What are you doing here?" Shannon asked. Ok, so maybe she and Sayid did look a bit surprised.

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here? I thought you were studying with a friend," Boone snapped.

"I was. We just got a bit carried away," Shannon explained calmly. "Boone-you're not going to- tell, are you? That you saw us here together?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Boone asked. He began to pace back and forth between the bookshelves.

"We're going to be related soon," Shannon said, smiling. "We should protect each other. That's what brothers and sisters do."

Boone shook his head and looked away. He knew what she was doing. She was trying to manipulate him. And _damn_ was she good at it.

"Ahh! Fine!" Boone cried. "But give me a reason, Shannon, and I swear I'll make your life a living hell."

Shannon looked confused.

Boone rolled his eyes. "Blackmail, Shannon. Piss me off and off you go to some boarding school in Switzerland for disobeying Sabrina."

Boone turned on his heel and stormed out of the library. The night air seemed crisper somehow now. Nicer. He walked down the street, whistling a made up tune.

* * *

Really crappy chapter, but there you go. 


	10. Chapter 10

"Claire! Claire!"

Claire, feeling a bit frazzled, looked all around trying to figure out who was calling her. The giant stack of books in her arms tottered dangerously. Charlie sprang out of nowhere, catching Claire's heavy Chemistry book before it hit the floor.

"Good morning, Claire," Charlie said sweetly. He reached for her books. "Here, let me take those."

"Thanks, Charlie," Claire muttered. She led him down the hall in the direction of her locker. "What's up?"

"Oh, I was just wondering what you were doing tomorrow night. Friday night," Charlie said.

"I don't know. Why?" Claire asked.

"I was hoping we could hang out," Charlie said.

"Oh-well, I might have to baby-sit," Claire said slowly. Inwardly, she cringed. She knew she didn't have to baby-sit.

"Oh," Charlie said, obviously disappointed. "Well, if you don't have to, I kind of made some plans."

"Ok," Claire said. She took her books from him. "I'm sorry, Charlie. I'll let you know if things change."

-xXx-

Sayid shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He felt like Boone was staring at him, but every time he looked over to check, Boone would look away. He hated being under Boone's finger. It wasn't fair.

First, of course, it sucked that Shannon wasn't allowed to date him. Second, it sucked that they had to date in secret. (No, really, it was kind of fun, in a Romeo-Juliet kind of way, but how depressing is that, what with the suicides at the end?) Third, it sucked that Boone had found them out and threatened to use his new information as blackmail.

Boone should just mind his own business. Doesn't he have his own love life to deal with?

Sayid glanced over again. Boone seemed to be studiously taking notes. Whatever. Boone sucked, but that wasn't going to get in Sayid's way. If he wanted to date Shannon, then that's precisely what he planned to do.

-xXx-

"Hey, Claire," Shannon greeted quietly. She leaned up against the locker next to her friend's. "How are you today?"

"Pretty good," Claire said brightly, glancing at Shannon. She looked terrible. "Shannon, what's wrong?"

"We've been found out," Shannon said. "Sayid and me. By Boone."

Claire made a noise of disgust. "I'm sorry, Shannon."

"I don't think he's told anyone yet, though," Shannon said. "At least, I don't think."

"So there's still a ray of hope," Claire said. She patted Shannon on the arm and closed her locker. "Walk with me a bit. What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"I don't know yet," Shannon replied. "What about you?"

"Well, Charlie asked me out," Claire said.

"Oh, Claire! That's so exciting!" Shannon exclaimed. She noticed the face Claire made. "It's not exciting?"

"I don't know," Claire said. She smiled involuntarily at the thought of Charlie. "I just- I don't know. I said no when I didn't mean to."

"I think you should change your mind," Shannon said. "I mean, you like him, right?"

"Yes," Claire said. She hesitated for a moment. "I suppose you're right. I'll find him later and tell him I'll go."

"Excellent," Shannon said. "At least one of us will be having a nice normal fun relationship."

"What do you mean?" Claire asked.

"Well, Sayid and I can't exactly date out in the open like I'd like," Shannon said. "Who knows though, maybe we can after Boone spills."

"Ok, that's you," Claire said. "What about Kate and Sawyer?"

"Yea, I don't think so. Come on, Claire. It's Sawyer. Either it won't end or it'll end badly. That's his pattern, even if it isn't Kate's," Shannon said.

"I suppose," Claire said, shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe it won't be so bad as you think."

"Hopefully you're right. I've got to get to class." Shannon said good-bye and walked off.

-xXx-

"So anyway," Kate continued, "Nikki totally wants to do me in. She gave me the dirtiest look when I took her seat. And her boyfriend- Paulo, or something, he's just creepy. He'd do anything Nikki told him to, even murder, I bet." Kate looked at Sawyer. "Sawyer?"

"Yeah," Sawyer said, shaking the glassy look out of his eyes. "You were talking about your sister's boyfriend. Crazy, that."

"You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?" Kate asked. Sawyer looked at her apprehensively, but she was smiling. "I don't have a sister."

"You don't? I thought you said you did," Sawyer said, taking a drink of his milk.

"No," Kate said. "So what are you doing this weekend?"

Sawyer hesitated. "I'm not sure. I might have a project to work on. You know, for Spanish."

"Since when do you turn down dates to work on a project for school?" Kate asked. She had yet to lose her smile.

"Well, it's important, you know. I might be able to get out early, though if you wanted me to."

"No, if it's important…you go and work on your project, and I'll give you a call on Saturday night," Kate said.

"Ok, good."

"So what kind of project is it?" Kate asked.

"Oh-just-just a group thing. You know the like," Sawyer replied, his eyes shifting restlessly over the crowd.

"Sure," Kate's smile faded a little. "Who're you working with?"

"Just some girl in my class," Sawyer said. "Look, honey, I have to go catch Jack about something. See you later?"

"Sure," Kate said. Her smile was completely gone as Sawyer got up from the table and she was left to speculate about his Spanish partner.

-xXx-

Ana walked cautiously through the house, following the path that Mrs. Shephard had described to her. She was careful not to touch anything, afraid her fingerprints would mar the perfectly polished things all around. Slipping out the back door, she found herself on a patio in the middle of a gorgeous garden. Just around the corner was a bench. Ana headed for it.

"Jack?"

Jack sat up straighter. "Ana-what are you doing here?"

"Just came to return your chemistry book. We must have taken each other's by mistake," Ana said, holding out the book in her arms.

"Oh, right. Here, let me go get yours," Jack said. He slipped into the house and returned moments later with Ana's book.

"Thanks," Ana said. She nodded to him and took a few steps to the door, but changed her mind. "Hey, Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a question? You've been pretty out of it the last couple days. Is anything wrong?" Ana asked.

Jack's face contorted into a grimace before he was able to come up with a mask. "No, nothing's wrong."

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't mean to gossip, but I've been-hearing things lately," Ana said slowly.

"What do you mean? What've you been hearing?" Jack asked quickly.

"Oh-I just overheard, ah, Sarah, actually. She was talking about you behind your back. I won't bother to go into detail," Ana said.

"Oh, right, _that_." Jack sat down heavily on the bench. "We go on one date and suddenly I'm her funniest anecdote."

"It's not that bad," Ana said, sitting down next to him. "I'm sure that not everyone believes what she says. She's all gossip."

"Yeah, well. What girl is gonna want to go out with me once they hear about how horribly I apparently treated Sarah?" Jack scoffed.

"There's a lot of girls that would want to go out with you, I'm sure," Ana said.

Jack shook his head and sighed, as if to say, "Yeah, right."

"No, really. I mean, I think you're a great guy," Ana said. She touched Jack's arm gently to get his attention.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Ana replied.

Jack looked at her. His eyes glinted in the sunlight. He smiled briefly before leaning in to kiss her on the lips.


	11. Chapter 11

"Libby, you're obsessed," Ana muttered. She was irritated because Libby was yet again on the phone. They were supposed to be hanging out, having pizza and gossiping, you know, a girl's night. But yet again, Libby was talking with her new boyfriend, Hurley (phone call # 5).

"No, really?" Libby exclaimed into her phone. Ana glared at her.

"Ok, ok. I'll see what I can do," Libby said, glancing at Ana. "Ten minutes. Ok. Bye."

Ana took a bite of her pizza, waiting for Libby to drop her bomb.

"Ana," Libby began slowly. "Hurley is alone tonight. His parents left him home alone."

"And you want to go over so you can make out and shit," Ana said. She didn't bother to hide her disappointment. "Whatever. Go and have fun. We can do this another night."

"Thank you, Ana!" Libby screeched. She threw down some money to pay for her half of the dinner, gave Ana a quick hug, and left the restaurant. Ana shook her head and went on eating her pizza. She was a little annoyed that Libby had left so unexpectedly, but at least that girl was no longer in the obsessive-crush-on-Hurley faze. She was in the obsessive-let's-talk-constantly-about-boyfriend-Hurley faze.

"Ana Lucia…"

Ana looked up, prepared to snarl at the guy standing there. Wait, it's Goodwin!

"Goodwin," Ana said curtly. She nodded at him and turned back to her pizza. She really wasn't in the mood to try to converse with this pig.

Goodwin sat down in Libby's vacated seat.

"I'm sorry; did I say you could sit down?" Ana snapped, glaring across the table.

Goodwin shrugged. He was grinning foolishly at her as though he knew something she didn't. "I've been wanting to talk to you."

"Oh yeah?" Ana said.

"Yeah. I was hoping you'd go out with me again," Goodwin said, still smiling.

"Were you, now," Ana said, uninterested.

"Yeah. So what do you say?"

"No," Ana said shortly.

"No?" Goodwin repeated, his eyes turning malicious. "Ana, think about what you're saying. Why don't you want to go out with me again? I apologized for our first date."

"Yes, you did and I forgave you. But that doesn't mean that I actually want to go out with you again," Ana replied. "You are not worth my time."

"Not worth your _time_?" Goodwin exclaimed.

"Nope," Ana said coolly. She reached around for her purse.

"Yeah, you tell him, sweetheart."

Ana, knowing who is was before she even looked, glared up at Sawyer, who had just appeared at their table. Libby ditching on top of Goodwin on top of Sawyer was a bit much for her nerves to handle tonight. "And what do _you_ want?"

"Pizza, actually, if you're not gonna eat that," Sawyer said, gesturing to the lone slice left. Receiving no reaction from Ana, he picked it up and took a bite. "So how are you tonight, chica?"

"Could you go away? We were trying to have a conversation," Goodwin said loudly, looking irritated.

Ana shrugged. "Done."

She got up and left, hoping that Goodwin was too annoyed to try to follow her. She made it to her car before noticing that she had been followed, but not by Goodwin.

"Sawyer, what do you want?"

Sawyer shrugged. "Wanted to see what you were up to."

Ana stared at him hard, waiting for a better response.

"I need a ride," Sawyer confessed finally.

"And I'm the only person you can ask?" Ana asked.

"Apparently," Sawyer said. "I don't have a cell phone."

"Whatever," Ana said, rolling her eyes. "Fine. Get in."

-xXx-

Shannon reached over and picked up her phone off her nightstand without looking up from her magazine.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Shannon."

"Sayid!" Shannon squealed. "What's up?"

"I was just calling…well, I was hoping that you were available to go out tonight," Sayid said.

"Oh," Shannon said, rolling her eyes. "I can't. Sabrina's been rampaging around all night, trying to get ready for the wedding. I don't think I could sneak out."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What about-"

Shannon didn't hear the rest of Sayid's words because Sabrina banged on her bedroom door.

"Crap, I gotta go," Shannon said quickly into the phone as the door opened.

"Shannon," Sabrina said. "Who were you talking to?"

"Kate," Shannon answered promptly. "I invited her over."

Sabrina's lip curled. Shannon waited.

"Fine," Sabrina snapped. "But tomorrow you have to go get your bridesmaid dress fitted." She turned on her heel and stomped out.

Shannon rolled her eyes again and flipped open her phone to call Kate.

Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang. Shannon, fiddling with her radio, didn't hear it. Instead, Boone trotted down the stairs to let Kate in.

"Hey, Kate, before you go," Boone said, touching her arm. "I have those CDs you wanted."

"Oh, awesome," Kate exclaimed. She took them from his hand, her fingers accidentally brushing his skin. "Thanks so much, Boone."

"No problem, Kate," Boone said. He looked at her intensely. "If you ever need anything else, just let me know."

"Ok," Kate said, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Well, anyway. I should find Shannon."

"Right," Boone murmured absentmindedly, watching Kate as she ascended the stairs.

-xXx-

"So…"

Claire still wasn't convinced this was where she wanted to be. Charlie was nice enough, sure, but he still hadn't told her where they were going.

"We're close," Charlie assured her, sensing her discontent. "You'll love it. I think."

Claire didn't reply. She just followed as Charlie took a left hand turn. They were walking through Goldwood Park, a grassy area that spanned the space equivalent to four street blocks and was filled with playgrounds, trees, benches, gravel paths, and an amphitheater.

"Why don't you just tell me where we're going, Charlie?" Claire complained.

"I want it to be a surprise," Charlie said, grinning at her. "Besides, you'll see in a minute."

"Fine, fine," Claire muttered. She glanced around. The sun had just set, leaving the western sky a pretty gold/pink combination. The shadows were already thick beneath all the trees. Except over there where it was strangely bright. "Charlie, what's that?" Claire asked, pointing.

"That," Charlie said, picking up his pace, "is where we are going."

Intrigued, Claire walked a bit faster, too.

Soon, they came out into a large clearing where people were milling about. The source of the light was a roughly constructed stage at the far side of the clearing. Several spotlights were highlighting a drum set and a few microphones.

"You brought me to a concert?" Claire said, looking at Charlie.

Charlie nodded enthusiastically. "It's called Rock Show. It's supposed to be showcasing all the local bands around here. My brother's band is playing."

"No way! That's awesome!" Claire said. Her eyes swept the crowd, absorbing their obvious excitement.

"Yeah. I'm teaching myself to play guitar so I can start my own band," Charlie said impressively. He started to lead the way through the crowd.

"Cool," Claire said, nodding her head. "Say, Charlie. Do you think I could meet the band?"

Charlie looked quickly at Claire but she was looking at the stage where people were getting ready to play. "Sure, Claire, you can meet the band later."

"Great!"

-xXx-

Ana slowed to a stop and put the car in park. The house she was parked in front of was…well, not shabby, exactly. More like lived in. Broken in. Like a much loved pair of shoes that looked crappy but were the most comfortable things you had ever worn.

"Piece of shit, isn't it?" Sawyer said.

"No, it's not that bad," Ana said, frowning.

"My foster mom can be bitchy, but-" Sawyer stopped when Ana threw him a sharp look. "Right. I'm in foster care. Bet you didn't know that?"

Ana shook her head. For once, Sawyer wasn't annoying her. She actually wanted to keep this conversation going.

"Anyway, Kathy's not that bad. Her husband, though. He's ruthless. Only comes home on the weekends, though. If he were there every night, I'd worry about the other two. Kathy just adopted Delia, she's nine. And Jacob, he's two, but he's her nephew. I could handle Rod, but he doesn't much like little kids." Sawyer laughed bitterly. "At least he doesn't hit them. So what about your family?"

"What?"

"Your family. Is it screwed up, or do you all have a family game night?"

Ana let her eyes slide past Sawyer onto the house behind him. "My dad left. When I was three. I don't remember him. It's just me and my mom."

"Your mom's a cop, right?" Sawyer asked.

"Yeah," Ana said. She hesitated before going on. "I think she's been having an affair with someone though." Her eyes flickered to Sawyer's surprised face. "It's just little things. The way she talks quietly on the phone and always hangs up when I come in the room. She doesn't like it when I go through the mail. And one night some guy dropped her off really late. I couldn't really see, but he looked old. Maybe I'm just paranoid though."

"Well…um, that's…too bad?" Sawyer said. Ana laughed and brushed off his comment.

They sat in complete silence for a minute, each looking off in a different direction, contemplating.

"Well, I guess-"

"There's something-"

They smiled at each other.

"Thanks for the ride, Ana," Sawyer said.

"You called me Ana," Ana said, surprised. Sawyer shook his head, smirking. He glanced at the house and then, before either one could give it a second though, Sawyer kissed Ana.

It was several minutes and lots of kissing later when it hit Ana. She pushed Sawyer away, breathing hard.

"What are you _doing_?" she snapped.

"What am _I_ doing? I don't think I was the only one participating in this kissing escapade," Sawyer ranted. He looked thoroughly frustrated about something.

Ana allowed herself a smirk and an eye roll before looking serious again. "What about Kate?" she asked in a significant voice.

"What _about_ Kate?" Sawyer said.

"Aren't you dating her?" Ana asked.

"Yeah, so?"

Ana glared at Sawyer. She started the car again. "Get out."

"Get out," Sawyer repeated as if he couldn't believe his ears.

Ana waited, glowering at him steadily.

"Fine," Sawyer said. He got out of the car. "But I'm calling you tomorrow. I need help with that stupid Spanish project." He slammed the door.

-xXx-

Kate walked slowly down the street, keeping to the sidewalk with the streetlights. She didn't know if her mother would be home yet. Diane had had a date with Wayne tonight.

Kate shivered slightly in the cool night air. It had been an interesting night. She had been all prepared to stake the night out on the couch watching a marathon of Lifetime movies. Then Shannon had called. She had said something about Sayid, then begged Kate to come over. So Kate had.

They mainly hung out in Shannon's room. The one time they ventured out, Sabrina had yelled at them. They were in the middle of making cookie dough when Sabrina had run in, screaming about her seating arrangements. Both Kate and Shannon stood there just staring at her. Sabrina, furious, picked up a stack of boards from the kitchen table, hissing and muttering something about girls, messes, and a lack of respect.

Armed with cookie dough and a nice cheerful Fall Out Boy CD, Kate and Shannon and retreated back upstairs. They chatted about anything and everything, starting with Sayid and Sawyer and ending with the pros and cons of spending Christmas vacation on a beach somewhere.

And of course, there was Boone. He'd been acting very strangely lately, and tonight was no exception. If Kate didn't know any better, she might have said that Boone liked her. Of course, she said none of this to Shannon. Shannon would have freaked out.

Rounding the corner, Kate took off in a run. She crossed the street and ran through the dark field behind the next row of houses. It was an easy shortcut to her house, if a bit daunting at night in the dark.

Through the field and back into the streetlights, Kate walked another block to the right, crossed the street again and walked up her drive. An unfamiliar green truck was parked in front. That was not a good sign.

Kate walked in the front door, pausing to listen for voices. She could hear her mother and a man in the kitchen. She slowly walked that way.

In the kitchen, Diane was sitting on a stool next to the counter. Her eyes were overly bright, indicating that she'd been drinking. Kate stopped in the doorway. A guy, presumably Wayne, stood with his back to her.

"Hey, mom," Kate said, to announce her presence.

"Katherine!" Diane exclaimed. She focused blurrily on Kate. "I'm so glad you're home. Where were you?"

"Shannon's," Kate answered swiftly.

Wayne had turned around to look at her. He was, put simply, dirty and greasy. He grinned evilly at Kate, showing yellowed teeth.

"Katherine, I want you to meet someone. Honey, this Wayne," Diane said. "Wayne, my daughter Kate."

Kate didn't react. There had to be something she was missing. Wayne was…Kate couldn't even find a word to describe the uniqueness of the man in front of her.

"Well," Diane said, looking around. "I'm going to the bathroom. You two get acquainted while I'm gone."

Kate was trying to decide what excuses she could make to get out here when Wayne took a step forward.

"So you're Kate," Wayne said. Kate supposed that his voice was not unpleasant. Maybe _that_ was why her mother was dating him. "I've heard a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet you." Wayne held out a hand for her to shake. Kate did so hesitantly. But then Wayne wouldn't let go.

"Aren't you a pretty one," Wayne muttered, almost to himself. "Yes…" He reached out his other hand to stroke her hair. Kate automatically flinched away. Wayne pulled her back; he still had a death grip on her hand. Kate struggled a bit more, trying to free herself. Wayne grabbed her other arm. "Now, now-arghh!!"

Kate had stamped on his foot, hard. Wayne, instead of just letting go of her, threw her onto the floor. Kate, shaking, got up slowly. She backed out of the room, watching Wayne wearily. He was balancing on one leg, considering her.

Kate, once out of the kitchen, bolted. She ran all the way back to Shannon's house.

-xXx-

Jack sat in his room reading a book when it happened. He heard a noise coming from downstairs. Though muffled, it sounded like a heavy whack. Then came the crash.

Jack hopped up and ran down the stairs, wondering what had happened. He stopped dead at the sight in front of him.

First, his eyes lit upon his father. Christian Shephard was lying facedown on the floor. He was still in the clothes he had worn to work that day. Blood was spilling from his head onto the squishy white carpet.

Then, Jack saw his mother. Maggie Shephard stood feet away from her husband, looking somehow triumphant, holding a long iron rod. It was the fire poker from the living room fireplace.

"Mom, what have you done?!"

* * *

Dum, dum, dum!

Ok, seriously. I am for real going to try to finish this story. I kind of forgot about it for awhile, but it's all coming back now (for some reason, I feel like that's from a song, that phrase). I'm rewatching LOST now on dvd so that's helping with the inspiration.

So, no worries.


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